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Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams
This study investigated student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams and the effect a visual change to these diagrams had on students' ability to interpret these diagrams. Equipotential diagrams are often drawn with a uniform line thickness and color. We modified the equipotential diagrams to use color variation and line thickness to indicate the sign and strength of the potential. These changes, which are consistent with theories of visual attention and grounded cognition, exploit students' innate ability to perceive color and line thickness variations to communicate the electric potential. Students compared electric potentials between indicated points on given traditional or modified diagrams. Results show that these students, even after instruction, responded with a distance only electric potential rule. In addition, we found that the modified diagrams did not have the predicted positive effect on students' ability to rank electric potentials; we suspect this is because students' rule for electric potential did not account for charge sign.
Physics Education Research Conference 2018
Part of the PER Conference series Washington, DC: August 1-2, 2018
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![]() <a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=14846">Rosenblatt, R, R. Zich, A. Sammons, and J. Cermak. "Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC, August 1-2, 2018.</a>
![]() R. Rosenblatt, R. Zich, A. Sammons, and J. Cermak, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC, 2018, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14846&DocID=4993).
![]() R. Rosenblatt, R. Zich, A. Sammons, and J. Cermak, Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC, 2018, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14846&DocID=4993>.
![]() Rosenblatt, R., Zich, R., Sammons, A., & Cermak, J. (2018, August 1-2). Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC. Retrieved February 12, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14846&DocID=4993
![]() Rosenblatt, R, R. Zich, A. Sammons, and J. Cermak. "Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC, August 1-2, 2018. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14846&DocID=4993 (accessed 12 February 2025).
![]() Rosenblatt, Rebecca, Raymond Zich, Amber Sammons, and Jacob Cermak. "Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams." Physics Education Research Conference 2018. Washington, DC: 2018. of PER Conference. 12 Feb. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14846&DocID=4993>.
![]() @inproceedings{
Author = "Rebecca Rosenblatt and Raymond Zich and Amber Sammons and Jacob Cermak",
Title = {Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2018},
Address = {Washington, DC},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {August 1-2},
Year = {2018}
}
![]() %A Rebecca Rosenblatt %A Raymond Zich %A Amber Sammons %A Jacob Cermak %T Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams %S PER Conference %D August 1-2 2018 %C Washington, DC %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14846&DocID=4993 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2018 %O August 1-2 %O application/pdf ![]() %0 Conference Proceedings %A Rosenblatt, Rebecca %A Zich, Raymond %A Sammons, Amber %A Cermak, Jacob %D August 1-2 2018 %T Investigating introductory student difficulties reading equipotential diagrams %B Physics Education Research Conference 2018 %C Washington, DC %S PER Conference %8 August 1-2 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14846&DocID=4993 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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