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Comparing undergraduate and graduate student reasoning on a conceptual entropy questionnaire
written by Nathan Crossette, Michael Vignal, and Bethany R. Wilcox
In a prior study, we investigated graduate student reasoning on a set of entropy-related conceptual tasks in a think-aloud format. The tasks involved entropy from microscopic and macroscopic perspectives, ideal gases, and a novel context involving a system with a dynamic string. In the current study, we conducted interviews with undergraduates using the same questionnaire. Most students were interviewed during the second half of their upper-division Thermal Physics course at the University of Colorado Boulder while two were upper-division undergraduates from other institutions with strong physics programs. We analyze the responses of the undergraduates to a section of the interview involving a novel system of a dynamic string waving in a bath of water and discuss the similarities and differences between the undergraduate and graduate students' responses. The responses from the two populations share many similarities with a few noteworthy exceptions. The undergraduates generally did not produce multiple macrostate classifications in the novel system, and some expressed a concern with what they perceived to be an infinite number of microstates---and thus infinite entropy---which was not a concern among the graduate students.
Physics Education Research Conference 2021
Part of the PER Conference series
Virtual Conference: August 4-5, 2021
Pages 105-110
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education - Basic Research
- Cognition
= Cognition Development
- Problem Solving
= Expert-Novice Comparisons
- Student Characteristics
= Skills
Thermo & Stat Mech
- Ensembles
= Macrostate
= Microstate
- Second and Third Law
= Entropy
- Upper Undergraduate
- Graduate/Professional
- Reference Material
= Research study
PER-Central Type Intended Users Ratings
- PER Literature
- Researchers
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Format:
application/pdf
Mirror:
https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2021…
Access Rights:
Free access
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This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the published article's author(s), title, proceedings citation, and DOI.
Rights Holder:
American Association of Physics Teachers
DOI:
10.1119/perc.2021.pr.Crossette
Keyword:
PERC 2021
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created September 28, 2021 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:
September 29, 2021 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
October 10, 2021
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Record Link
AIP Format
N. Crossette, M. Vignal, and B. Wilcox, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2021, Virtual Conference, 2021, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15733&DocID=5467).
AJP/PRST-PER
N. Crossette, M. Vignal, and B. Wilcox, Comparing undergraduate and graduate student reasoning on a conceptual entropy questionnaire, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2021, Virtual Conference, 2021, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15733&DocID=5467>.
APA Format
Crossette, N., Vignal, M., & Wilcox, B. (2021, August 4-5). Comparing undergraduate and graduate student reasoning on a conceptual entropy questionnaire. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2021, Virtual Conference. Retrieved March 15, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15733&DocID=5467
Chicago Format
Crossette, N, M. Vignal, and B. Wilcox. "Comparing undergraduate and graduate student reasoning on a conceptual entropy questionnaire." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2021, Virtual Conference, August 4-5, 2021. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15733&DocID=5467 (accessed 15 March 2025).
MLA Format
Crossette, Nathan, Michael Vignal, and Bethany Wilcox. "Comparing undergraduate and graduate student reasoning on a conceptual entropy questionnaire." Physics Education Research Conference 2021. Virtual Conference: 2021. 105-110 of PER Conference. 15 Mar. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15733&DocID=5467>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{ Author = "Nathan Crossette and Michael Vignal and Bethany Wilcox", Title = {Comparing undergraduate and graduate student reasoning on a conceptual entropy questionnaire}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2021}, Pages = {105-110}, Address = {Virtual Conference}, Series = {PER Conference}, Month = {August 4-5}, Year = {2021} }
Refer Export Format

%A Nathan Crossette %A Michael Vignal %A Bethany Wilcox %T Comparing undergraduate and graduate student reasoning on a conceptual entropy questionnaire %S PER Conference %D August 4-5 2021 %P 105-110 %C Virtual Conference %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15733&DocID=5467 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2021 %O August 4-5 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Crossette, Nathan %A Vignal, Michael %A Wilcox, Bethany %D August 4-5 2021 %T Comparing undergraduate and graduate student reasoning on a conceptual entropy questionnaire %B Physics Education Research Conference 2021 %C Virtual Conference %P 105-110 %S PER Conference %8 August 4-5 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15733&DocID=5467


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