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Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism
The purpose of this paper is to understand and characterize student thinking about the physics concepts of divergence and curl in the context of upper-division electromagnetism for physics majors. We interviewed five students at a west coast university who had taken at least one semester of upper-division electricity and magnetism. The interview prompted students to describe divergence and curl in multiple representations (visually, mathematically, qualitatively). Our analysis identified that students can notice but struggle to resolve discrepancies between the mathematical calculations and the graphical representations of vector fields. We illustrate examples of when students appear to have a disconnect between these two representations and utilize ideas from related, but inappropriate representations. By providing examples of how students interpret divergence and curl both conceptually and mathematically, we hope to inform instructors of potential hurdles students may face when taking upper-division E&M.
Physics Education Research Conference 2024
Part of the PER Conference series Boston, MA: July 10-11, 2024 Pages 414-419
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=16930">Stuckey, J. Toby, and Gina Quan. "Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2024, Boston, MA, July 10-11, 2024.</a>
AIP Format
J. Stuckey and G. Quan, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2024, Boston, MA, 2024, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16930&DocID=5997).
AJP/PRST-PER
J. Stuckey and G. Quan, Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2024, Boston, MA, 2024, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16930&DocID=5997>.
APA Format
Stuckey, J., & Quan, G. (2024, July 10-11). Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2024, Boston, MA. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16930&DocID=5997
Chicago Format
Stuckey, J. Toby, and Gina Quan. "Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2024, Boston, MA, July 10-11, 2024. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16930&DocID=5997 (accessed 4 November 2024).
MLA Format
Stuckey, J. Toby, and Gina Quan. "Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism." Physics Education Research Conference 2024. Boston, MA: 2024. 414-419 of PER Conference. 4 Nov. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16930&DocID=5997>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{
Author = "J. Toby Stuckey and Gina Quan",
Title = {Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2024},
Pages = {414-419},
Address = {Boston, MA},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {July 10-11},
Year = {2024}
}
Refer Export Format
%A J. Toby Stuckey %A Gina Quan %T Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism %S PER Conference %D July 10-11 2024 %P 414-419 %C Boston, MA %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16930&DocID=5997 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2024 %O July 10-11 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Stuckey, J. Toby %A Quan, Gina %D July 10-11 2024 %T Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism %B Physics Education Research Conference 2024 %C Boston, MA %P 414-419 %S PER Conference %8 July 10-11 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16930&DocID=5997 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. Student understanding of divergence and curl in upper-division electricity and magnetism:Know of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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