The Partial Derivative Machine

Sherer, Grant; Kustusch, Mary Bridget; Manogue, Corinne A.; Roundy, David J.

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The Partial Derivative Machine

written by Grant Sherer, Mary Bridget Kustusch, Corinne A. Manogue, and David J. Roundy

Research has shown that students struggle to understand the use of partial derivatives in thermodynamics. We have designed an apparatus, which we have called a Partial Derivative Machine, that serves as a mechanical analogue of a thermodynamic system. Using this device, students have a tangible way to wrestle with issues related to partial derivatives and thermodynamics, such as which variables are held fixed, how many variables are independent, and how energy can be added to a system. In this paper, we present a description of the apparatus, an introduction to the associated activities, and an overview of how this apparatus can be connected to thermodynamic systems.

Physics Education Research Conference 2013
Part of the PER Conference series
Portland, OR: July 17-18, 2013
Pages 341-344

download 4736kb .pdf
Published: February 1, 2014

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Education Practices - Active Learning - Curriculum Development = Laboratory - Instructional Material Design = Activity Mathematical Tools - Multivariable Calculus = Partial Derivative Thermo & Stat Mech - General	- Upper Undergraduate	- Reference Material = Research study

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Mirror:: https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2013…
Access Rights:: Free access
License:: This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the published article's author(s), title, proceedings citation, and DOI.
Rights Holder:: American Association of Physics Teachers
DOI:: 10.1119/perc.2013.pr.073
NSF Number:: 1023120
PACSs:: 01.40.Fk; 01.40.gb; 05.70.-a
Keywords:: PERC 2013, Partial Derivatives, Physics Education, Thermodynamics, Upper-Division Physics
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created January 31, 2014 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:: January 31, 2014 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: December 16, 2013
Other Collections:: The PER-Central

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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=13148">Sherer, G, M. Kustusch, C. Manogue, and D. Roundy. "The Partial Derivative Machine." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, July 17-18, 2013.</a>

AIP Format

G. Sherer, M. Kustusch, C. Manogue, and D. Roundy, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, 2013, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13148&DocID=3695).

AJP/PRST-PER

G. Sherer, M. Kustusch, C. Manogue, and D. Roundy, The Partial Derivative Machine, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, 2013, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13148&DocID=3695>.

APA Format

Sherer, G., Kustusch, M., Manogue, C., & Roundy, D. (2013, July 17-18). The Partial Derivative Machine. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13148&DocID=3695

Chicago Format

Sherer, G, M. Kustusch, C. Manogue, and D. Roundy. "The Partial Derivative Machine." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, July 17-18, 2013. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13148&DocID=3695 (accessed 18 April 2024).

MLA Format

Sherer, Grant, Mary Bridget Kustusch, Corinne Manogue, and David Roundy. "The Partial Derivative Machine." Physics Education Research Conference 2013. Portland, OR: 2013. 341-344 of PER Conference. 18 Apr. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13148&DocID=3695>.

BibTeX Export Format

@inproceedings{ Author = "Grant Sherer and Mary Bridget Kustusch and Corinne Manogue and David Roundy", Title = {The Partial Derivative Machine}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2013}, Pages = {341-344}, Address = {Portland, OR}, Series = {PER Conference}, Month = {July 17-18}, Year = {2013} }

Refer Export Format

%A Grant Sherer %A Mary Bridget Kustusch %A Corinne Manogue %A David Roundy %T The Partial Derivative Machine %S PER Conference %D July 17-18 2013 %P 341-344 %C Portland, OR %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13148&DocID=3695 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2013 %O July 17-18 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Sherer, Grant %A Kustusch, Mary Bridget %A Manogue, Corinne %A Roundy, David %D July 17-18 2013 %T The Partial Derivative Machine %B Physics Education Research Conference 2013 %C Portland, OR %P 341-344 %S PER Conference %8 July 17-18 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13148&DocID=3695

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