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Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions
Utilizing the integral expression of Coulomb's Law to determine the electric potential from a continuous charge distribution is a canonical exercise in Electricity and Magnetism (E&M). In this study, we use both think-aloud interviews and responses to traditional exam questions to investigate student difficulties with this topic at the upper-division level. Leveraging a theoretical framework for the use of mathematics in physics, we discuss how students activate, construct, execute and reflect on the integral form of Coulomb's Law when solving problems with continuous charge distributions. We present evidence that junior-level E&M students have difficulty mapping physical systems onto the mathematical expression for the Coulomb potential. Common challenges include difficulty expressing the difference vector in appropriate coordinates as well as determining expressions for the differential charge element and limits of integration for a specific charge distribution. We discuss possible implications of these findings for future research directions and instructional strategies.
Physics Education Research Conference 2012
Part of the PER Conference series Philadelphia, PA: August 1-2, 2012 Volume 1513, Pages 418-421
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=12866">Wilcox, B, M. Caballero, R. Pepper, and S. Pollock. "Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, August 1-2, 2012.</a>
AIP Format
B. Wilcox, M. Caballero, R. Pepper, and S. Pollock, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12866&DocID=3398).
AJP/PRST-PER
B. Wilcox, M. Caballero, R. Pepper, and S. Pollock, Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12866&DocID=3398>.
APA Format
Wilcox, B., Caballero, M., Pepper, R., & Pollock, S. (2012, August 1-2). Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved October 11, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12866&DocID=3398
Chicago Format
Wilcox, B, M. Caballero, R. Pepper, and S. Pollock. "Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, August 1-2, 2012. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12866&DocID=3398 (accessed 11 October 2024).
MLA Format
Wilcox, Bethany, Marcos D. Caballero, Rachel Pepper, and Steven Pollock. "Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions." Physics Education Research Conference 2012. Philadelphia, PA: 2012. 418-421 Vol. 1513 of PER Conference. 11 Oct. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12866&DocID=3398>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{
Author = "Bethany Wilcox and Marcos D. Caballero and Rachel Pepper and Steven Pollock",
Title = {Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2012},
Pages = {418-421},
Address = {Philadelphia, PA},
Series = {PER Conference},
Volume = {1513},
Month = {August 1-2},
Year = {2012}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Bethany Wilcox %A Marcos D. Caballero %A Rachel Pepper %A Steven Pollock %T Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions %S PER Conference %V 1513 %D August 1-2 2012 %P 418-421 %C Philadelphia, PA %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12866&DocID=3398 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2012 %O August 1-2 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Wilcox, Bethany %A Caballero, Marcos D. %A Pepper, Rachel %A Pollock, Steven %D August 1-2 2012 %T Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions %B Physics Education Research Conference 2012 %C Philadelphia, PA %V 1513 %P 418-421 %S PER Conference %8 August 1-2 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12866&DocID=3398 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
The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The AJP/PRST-PER presented is based on the AIP Style with the addition of journal article titles and conference proceeding article titles. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. Upper-division student understanding of Coulomb's law: Difficulties with continuous charge distributions:Know of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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