Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students’ understanding of vector subtraction
written by
Tianren Wang and Eleanor C. Sayre
In this paper, we report on the impact that slight changes in question format have on student response to one-dimensional vector subtraction tasks. We use Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) analysis to analyze students' responses on six very similar questions which vary in context (physics or mathematics), vector alignment (both pointing to the right or opposed), and operation (left-right subtraction or right-left subtraction). Responses on all questions are generally correct and do not vary by instructional week or even by course. Context and specific operation do not show significant differences. Vector alignment is significantly different, indicating that perception or heuristic thinking is a bigger cause of failure than conceptual deficit. The emphasis in this paper is an introduction to likelihood estimation.
Physics Education Research Conference 2010
Part of the PER Conference series Portland, Oregon: July 21-22, 2010 Volume 1289, Pages 329-332
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![]() <a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=10496">Wang, Tianren, and Eleanor Sayre. "Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students’ understanding of vector subtraction." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, July 21-22, 2010.</a>
![]() T. Wang and E. Sayre, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, 2010, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10496&DocID=1952).
![]() T. Wang and E. Sayre, Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students’ understanding of vector subtraction, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, 2010, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10496&DocID=1952>.
![]() Wang, T., & Sayre, E. (2010, July 21-22). Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students’ understanding of vector subtraction. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10496&DocID=1952
![]() Wang, Tianren, and Eleanor Sayre. "Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students’ understanding of vector subtraction." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, July 21-22, 2010. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10496&DocID=1952 (accessed 2 April 2025).
![]() Wang, Tianren, and Eleanor Sayre. "Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students’ understanding of vector subtraction." Physics Education Research Conference 2010. Portland, Oregon: 2010. 329-332 Vol. 1289 of PER Conference. 2 Apr. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10496&DocID=1952>.
![]() @inproceedings{
Author = "Tianren Wang and Eleanor Sayre",
Title = {Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students’ understanding of vector subtraction},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2010},
Pages = {329-332},
Address = {Portland, Oregon},
Series = {PER Conference},
Volume = {1289},
Month = {July 21-22},
Year = {2010}
}
![]() %A Tianren Wang %A Eleanor Sayre %T Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students' understanding of vector subtraction %S PER Conference %V 1289 %D July 21-22 2010 %P 329-332 %C Portland, Oregon %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10496&DocID=1952 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2010 %O July 21-22 %O application/pdf ![]() %0 Conference Proceedings %A Wang, Tianren %A Sayre, Eleanor %D July 21-22 2010 %T Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of students' understanding of vector subtraction %B Physics Education Research Conference 2010 %C Portland, Oregon %V 1289 %P 329-332 %S PER Conference %8 July 21-22 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10496&DocID=1952 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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