written by Tong Wan, Paul J. Emigh, Gina Passante, and Peter S. Shaffer

Time dependence is an important concept in quantum mechanics that has been shown to be difficult for many students. In trying to understand the problems that students encounter, the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington is examining student ability to reason about the period of quantum states. As part of this investigation, we have begun to probe student understanding of period in other contexts (e.g., phasors and circular motion). Results from analogous written tasks administered in introductory and sophomore-level courses reveal related difficulties. The findings have implications for instruction and are guiding the design of curriculum (Tutorials in Physics: Quantum Mechanics) that is intended to improve student understanding of time dependence in quantum mechanics.

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Last Modified December 1, 2016

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