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American Journal of Physics
written by Guangtian Zhu and Chandralekha Singh
We explore the difficulties that advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with non-relativistic quantum mechanics of a single particle in one spatial dimension. To investigate these difficulties we developed a conceptual survey and administered it to more than 200 students at 10 institutions. The issues targeted in the survey include the set of possible wavefunctions, bound and scattering states, quantum measurement, expectation values, the role of the Hamiltonian, and the time-dependence of the wavefunction and expectation values. We find that undergraduate and graduate students have many common difficulties with these concepts and that research-based tutorials and peer-instruction tools can significantly reduce these difficulties. The findings also suggest that graduate quantum mechanics courses may not be effective at helping students to develop a better conceptual understanding of these topics, partly because such courses mainly focus on quantitative assessments.
American Journal of Physics: Volume 80, Issue 3, Pages 252-259
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Assessment
= Conceptual Assessment
= Instruments
Quantum Physics
- Bound State Systems
- Foundations and Measurements
- General
- Scattering and Unbound Systems
- Upper Undergraduate
- Graduate/Professional
- Reference Material
= Article
= Research study
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© 2012 American Association of Physics Teachers
DOI:
10.1119/1.3677653
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created April 30, 2012 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:
April 30, 2012 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
March 1, 2012
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Record Link
AIP Format
G. Zhu and C. Singh, , Am. J. Phys. 80 (3), 252 (2012), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3677653).
AJP/PRST-PER
G. Zhu and C. Singh, Surveying students' understanding of quantum mechanics in one spatial dimension, Am. J. Phys. 80 (3), 252 (2012), <https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3677653>.
APA Format
Zhu, G., & Singh, C. (2012, March 1). Surveying students' understanding of quantum mechanics in one spatial dimension. Am. J. Phys., 80(3), 252-259. Retrieved May 10, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3677653
Chicago Format
Zhu, Guangtian, and Chandralekha Singh. "Surveying students' understanding of quantum mechanics in one spatial dimension." Am. J. Phys. 80, no. 3, (March 1, 2012): 252-259, https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3677653 (accessed 10 May 2024).
MLA Format
Zhu, Guangtian, and Chandralekha Singh. "Surveying students' understanding of quantum mechanics in one spatial dimension." Am. J. Phys. 80.3 (2012): 252-259. 10 May 2024 <https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3677653>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{ Author = "Guangtian Zhu and Chandralekha Singh", Title = {Surveying students' understanding of quantum mechanics in one spatial dimension}, Journal = {Am. J. Phys.}, Volume = {80}, Number = {3}, Pages = {252-259}, Month = {March}, Year = {2012} }
Refer Export Format

%A Guangtian Zhu %A Chandralekha Singh %T Surveying students' understanding of quantum mechanics in one spatial dimension %J Am. J. Phys. %V 80 %N 3 %D March 1, 2012 %P 252-259 %U https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3677653 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Zhu, Guangtian %A Singh, Chandralekha %D March 1, 2012 %T Surveying students' understanding of quantum mechanics in one spatial dimension %J Am. J. Phys. %V 80 %N 3 %P 252-259 %8 March 1, 2012 %U https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3677653


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