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written by
Brendon D. Mikula and Andrew F. Heckler
Students in introductory physics courses sometimes struggle to correctly break down a single vector into its components when provided only with an arrow, a magnitude, a reference angle, and a coordinate system. Students struggle further when asked to break down a vector in an inclined coordinate system, such as the weight vector of a box on an inclined plane. Varying the placement of the angle consistently affects student error and response patterns across four physics student populations: algebra-based mechanics, algebra-based E&M, calculus-based mechanics, and calculus-based E&M. This suggests that student difficulties with trigonometric vector components are persistent and pervasive, even across different introductory physics courses, and are far below the requisite near-perfect accuracy needed for such fundamental skills. Student error and response patterns are discussed for both problem types.
Physics Education Research Conference 2013
Part of the PER Conference series Portland, OR: July 17-18, 2013 Pages 253-256
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=13176">Mikula, Brendon, and Andrew F. Heckler. "Student Difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Components Persist in Multiple Student Populations." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, July 17-18, 2013.</a>
AIP Format
B. Mikula and A. Heckler, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, 2013, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13176&DocID=3723).
AJP/PRST-PER
B. Mikula and A. Heckler, Student Difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Components Persist in Multiple Student Populations, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, 2013, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13176&DocID=3723>.
APA Format
Mikula, B., & Heckler, A. (2013, July 17-18). Student Difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Components Persist in Multiple Student Populations. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR. Retrieved October 10, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13176&DocID=3723
Chicago Format
Mikula, Brendon, and Andrew F. Heckler. "Student Difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Components Persist in Multiple Student Populations." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, July 17-18, 2013. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13176&DocID=3723 (accessed 10 October 2024).
MLA Format
Mikula, Brendon, and Andrew F. Heckler. "Student Difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Components Persist in Multiple Student Populations." Physics Education Research Conference 2013. Portland, OR: 2013. 253-256 of PER Conference. 10 Oct. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13176&DocID=3723>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{
Author = "Brendon Mikula and Andrew F. Heckler",
Title = {Student Difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Components Persist in Multiple Student Populations},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2013},
Pages = {253-256},
Address = {Portland, OR},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {July 17-18},
Year = {2013}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Brendon Mikula %A Andrew F. Heckler %T Student Difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Components Persist in Multiple Student Populations %S PER Conference %D July 17-18 2013 %P 253-256 %C Portland, OR %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13176&DocID=3723 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2013 %O July 17-18 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Mikula, Brendon %A Heckler, Andrew F. %D July 17-18 2013 %T Student Difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Components Persist in Multiple Student Populations %B Physics Education Research Conference 2013 %C Portland, OR %P 253-256 %S PER Conference %8 July 17-18 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13176&DocID=3723 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.
Citation Source Information
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