Search results for "Physics education"
showing 10 items of 101 documents
Textbook myths about early atomic models
2022
Most physics textbooks at college and university level introduce quantum physics in a historical context. However, the textbook version of this history does not match the actual history. In this article, the first in a series of articles looking at the textbook description of the quantum history, we follow an exceptional student through her endeavors to understand the early atomic models that led up to the work of Niels Bohr. We experience her disappointment when she discovers that the description of the famous atomic model by Thomson, is a mere caricature with almost no trace of Thomson's work and that the supposedly important radiative instability of Rutherford's atoms, is not there at al…
The impact of the pre-instructional cognitive profile on learning gain and final exam of physics courses: a case study.
2006
The case study described in this paper investigates the relationship among some pre-instructional knowledge, the learning gain and the final physics performance of computing engineering students in the introductory physics course. The results of the entrance engineering test (EET) have been used as a measurement of reading comprehension, logic and mathematics skills and basic physics knowledge of a sample of 47 Computing Engineering freshmen at the University of Palermo (Italy). These data give a significant picture of the initial knowledge status of a student choosing engineering studies. The students' physics learning gain has been calculated using a standardized tool in mechanics: the fo…
Different approaches to research and innovation in physics education at college and university
2019
Abstract In this article we report a Symposium organized by GTG-Physics Education Research at University (PERU) with different proposals that includes innovative educational approaches and research on problems of teaching-learning physics at university. In the second section, two research projects are described on teaching specific curriculum topics that present special difficulties for students. In the next section the third project on a work experience in the laboratory that takes into account the characteristics of scientific work, is presented. Finally, the fourth project presents a way to investigate the types of student reasoning. In the discussion, the importance of research projects…
"Table 1" of "Pseudorapidity density of charged particles p-Pb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 5.02 TeV"
2013
The pseudorapidity density of charged particles in the lab. frame.
From Heuristics to Humble Theories in Physics Education: The Case of Modelling Personal Appropriation of Thermodynamics in Naturalistic Settings
2014
This paper concerns the analysis of data collected during the implementation of a teaching proposal on thermodynamics in a class of 20 students (17 year-olds) of a scientifically-oriented secondary school in Italy. After a brief presentation of the teaching proposal design and of the notion of learning environment as properly complex territory, the results of two levels of analysis are discussed. The first level regards a phenomenological (bottom-up) analysis of a selection of individual interviews to students. The analysis allowed us: i) to reconstruct how different students approached the study of thermodynamics; ii) to show in what sense we can infer, in the words of Confrey, that the te…
Student knowledge and learning skill modeling in the learning environment `forces'In order to prevent further delays in publication this paper has be…
1998
Abstract In this paper we present a student module modeling knowledge states and learning skills of students in the field of Newtonian dynamics. Student data recorded during the exploratory activity in microworlds are used to infer mental representations concerning the concept of force. A fuzzy algorithm able to follow the cognitive states the student goes through in solving a task and to interpret the monitored changes is discussed.
Physics education research: A research subfield of physics with gender parity
2015
Women currently outnumber men in obtaining undergraduate degrees but are underrepresented within STEM fields. However, women’s representation varies by STEM field, and even further by STEM subfield. One field that has held a persistent low representation of women is physics. This paper seeks to uncover the truth behind an anecdotal claim that the subfield of physics education research (PER) has a higher representation of women than physics as a whole. Graduate students in PER completed an online survey to assess their demographics, trajectory in PER, climate experiences, and goals for their research. The response rate for the survey was 68%, yielding 125 total respondents. This paper will f…
El modelo de Ausubel en la didáctica de la física : una aproximanción experimental al proceso de E/A de contenidos que presentan constructos poco ela…
1993
Resumen basado en el de la publicación Resumen en inglés Se muestran los resultados de una investigación sobre educación física sobre «Magnetismo» en la escuela secundaria. Se investiga un enfoque constructivista para el diseño instruccional basado en el modelo de Ausubel en el tratamiento de temas en el cual los alumnos tienen representaciones conceptuales pobres y marcos alternativos. Se muestran los primeros resultados con respecto al aprendizaje inmediato y duradero. ESP
A teaching proposal for the didactics of Special Relativity: the spacetime globe
2022
Abstract Special Relativity introduces students to Modern Physics, whose importance in the high school is increasing. Nevertheless its teaching and learning is a critical issue. Different solutions have been developed to overcome the encountered difficulties. In this paper we describe the spacetime globe, a mechanical instrument that allows to experience Special Relativity hands-on. We show how it is possible to treat all the main phenomena foreseen by Special Relativity with simple laboratory experiences, using the idea of Minkowski’s spacetime diagrams. The aim is to develop the use of geometrical approach in learning Special Relativity in high schools.
La distribuzione di Maxwell-Boltzmann: i risultati di una sperimentazione svolta nell'ambito dei corsi di laurea in ingegneria
2011
This paper describes the outcomes of an teaching experiment conducted in the seminar held at the Faculty Engineering of Palermo University. The theme of the seminar focused on undergraduate experiment that yields the velocity distribution of thermionic electrons by analyzing the I-V characteristics of diodes and triodes. By using a simple model, the velocity distribution of thermionic electrons emitted by the vacuum tube cathode can be described by Maxwell's distribution. The experiment allows students to focus on the distribution function more than on difficulties arising from the complexity of thermionic emission. Questo articolo descrive i risultati di una sperimentazione didattica condo…