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The Dirac delta function is a standard mathematical tool that appears repeatedly in the undergraduate physics curriculum in multiple topical areas including electrostatics, and quantum mechanics. While Dirac delta functions are often introduced in order to simplify a problem mathematically, students still struggle to manipulate and interpret them. To characterize student difficulties with the delta function at the upper-division level, we examined students' responses to traditional exam questions and a standardized conceptual assessment, and conducted think-aloud interviews. Our analysis was guided by an analytical framework that focuses on how students activate, construct, execute, and reflect on the Dirac delta function in the context of problem solving in physics. Here, we focus on student difficulties using the delta function to express charge distributions in the context of junior-level electrostatics. Common challenges included invoking the delta function spontaneously, translating a description of a charge distribution into a mathematical expression using delta functions, integrating 3D or non-Cartesian delta function expressions, and recognizing that the delta function can have units. We also briefly discuss implications of these difficulties for instruction.
Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research: Volume 11, Issue 1, Pages 010108
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![]() <a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=13654">Wilcox, Bethany, and Steven Pollock. "Upper-division student difficulties with the Dirac delta function." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, no. 1, (March 9, 2015): 010108.</a>
![]() B. Wilcox and S. Pollock, , Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11 (1), 010108 (2015), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.11.010108).
![]() B. Wilcox and S. Pollock, Upper-division student difficulties with the Dirac delta function, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11 (1), 010108 (2015), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.11.010108>.
![]() Wilcox, B., & Pollock, S. (2015, March 9). Upper-division student difficulties with the Dirac delta function. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res., 11(1), 010108. Retrieved February 10, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.11.010108
![]() Wilcox, Bethany, and Steven Pollock. "Upper-division student difficulties with the Dirac delta function." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, no. 1, (March 9, 2015): 010108, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.11.010108 (accessed 10 February 2025).
![]() Wilcox, Bethany, and Steven Pollock. "Upper-division student difficulties with the Dirac delta function." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11.1 (2015): 010108. 10 Feb. 2025 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.11.010108>.
![]() @article{
Author = "Bethany Wilcox and Steven Pollock",
Title = {Upper-division student difficulties with the Dirac delta function},
Journal = {Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res.},
Volume = {11},
Number = {1},
Pages = {010108},
Month = {March},
Year = {2015}
}
![]() %A Bethany Wilcox %A Steven Pollock %T Upper-division student difficulties with the Dirac delta function %J Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. %V 11 %N 1 %D March 9, 2015 %P 010108 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.11.010108 %O application/pdf ![]() %0 Journal Article %A Wilcox, Bethany %A Pollock, Steven %D March 9, 2015 %T Upper-division student difficulties with the Dirac delta function %J Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. %V 11 %N 1 %P 010108 %8 March 9, 2015 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.11.010108 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.
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