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Quantum mechanics is a notoriously counterintuitive subject within physics and has been the subject of a number of studies at the undergraduate level, and a few pioneering studies at the graduate level. The sketching of wave functions in a confining well is in one sense one of the most basic activities in quantum mechanics. But in another sense, it may be viewed as a rather advanced skill, as it requires the coherent inclusion of a number of details of the wave function, such as wavelength, probability amplitude, and boundary conditions, among others. Although sketching a wave function is not a common activity at the graduate level, a great deal of graduate work is concerned with the aforementioned details, especially boundary conditions. Whether it is seen as a basic skill, or as linked to higher-level understanding, sketching a wave function is an ability that physics graduate students should have. Here, we report on graduate students' ability to sketch wave functions in an asymmetric potential well. We find that the frequency of many errors is not significantly reduced from pretest to posttest, meaning that many errors persist through to the end of graduate quantum mechanics instruction. We find that only 5% of graduate students tested can sketch the 2nd excited state wave function without errors. We include quantitative and diagrammatic descriptions of student errors covering a broader range of misunderstandings than has previously been identified, and we include interview information that speaks to the persistence of some of the errors.
Physical Review Physics Education Research: Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages 010139
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<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=15156">Porter, Chris D., and Andrew F. Heckler. "Graduate student misunderstandings of wave functions in an asymmetric well." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15, no. 1, (June 11, 2019): 010139.</a>
C. Porter and A. Heckler, , Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15 (1), 010139 (2019), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.010139).
C. Porter and A. Heckler, Graduate student misunderstandings of wave functions in an asymmetric well, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15 (1), 010139 (2019), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.010139>.
Porter, C., & Heckler, A. (2019, June 11). Graduate student misunderstandings of wave functions in an asymmetric well. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 15(1), 010139. Retrieved May 15, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.010139
Porter, Chris D., and Andrew F. Heckler. "Graduate student misunderstandings of wave functions in an asymmetric well." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15, no. 1, (June 11, 2019): 010139, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.010139 (accessed 15 May 2026).
Porter, Chris D., and Andrew F. Heckler. "Graduate student misunderstandings of wave functions in an asymmetric well." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15.1 (2019): 010139. 15 May 2026 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.010139>.
@article{
Author = "Chris D. Porter and Andrew F. Heckler",
Title = {Graduate student misunderstandings of wave functions in an asymmetric well},
Journal = {Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.},
Volume = {15},
Number = {1},
Pages = {010139},
Month = {June},
Year = {2019}
}
%A Chris D. Porter %A Andrew F. Heckler %T Graduate student misunderstandings of wave functions in an asymmetric well %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 15 %N 1 %D June 11, 2019 %P 010139 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.010139 %O application/pdf %0 Journal Article %A Porter, Chris D. %A Heckler, Andrew F. %D June 11, 2019 %T Graduate student misunderstandings of wave functions in an asymmetric well %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 15 %N 1 %P 010139 %8 June 11, 2019 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.010139 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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