Results from an investigation of student understanding of physical optics indicate that university students who have studied this topic at the introductory level and beyond often cannot account for the pattern produced on a screen when light is incident on a single or double slit. Many do not know whether to apply geometrical or physical optics to a given situation and may inappropriately combine elements of both. Some specific difficulties that were identified for single and double slits proved to be sufficiently serious to preclude students from acquiring even a qualitative understanding of the wave model for light. In addition, we found that students in advanced courses often had mistaken beliefs about photons, which they incorporated into their interpretation of the wave model for matter. A major objective of this investigation was to build a research base for the design of a curriculum to help students develop a functional understanding of introductory optics.
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February 1999
PAPERS|
February 01 1999
An investigation of student understanding of single-slit diffraction and double-slit interference
Bradley S. Ambrose;
Bradley S. Ambrose
Department of Physics, Box 351560, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1560
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Peter S. Shaffer;
Peter S. Shaffer
Department of Physics, Box 351560, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1560
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Richard N. Steinberg;
Richard N. Steinberg
Department of Physics, Box 351560, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1560
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Lillian C. McDermott
Lillian C. McDermott
Department of Physics, Box 351560, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1560
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Am. J. Phys. 67, 146–155 (1999)
Article history
Received:
February 09 1998
Accepted:
June 17 1998
Citation
Bradley S. Ambrose, Peter S. Shaffer, Richard N. Steinberg, Lillian C. McDermott; An investigation of student understanding of single-slit diffraction and double-slit interference. Am. J. Phys. 1 February 1999; 67 (2): 146–155. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.19210
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