PERC 2016 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Algebra-Based Students & Vectors: Assessing Physical Understanding in Arrow vs ijk |
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| Abstract: | A recent study of calculus-based introductory physics students found that they performed significantly better on vector addition and subtraction tasks when the questions were given using the ijk representation instead of an ``arrows-on-a-grid'' representation, and also presented evidence that working knowledge of the ijk format was necessary to correctly perform vector operations in the arrow representation. A subsequent study found that algebra-based physics students also performed significantly better in the ijk representation than the arrow representation in both one- and two-dimensional problems, even though no explicit ijk instruction was given in the course. In a follow-up investigation we asked algebra-based physics students to physically interpret their answers, in order to assess if the higher performance on ijk questions indicates physical understanding or is the result of algorithmic ``plug-and-chug'' thinking. Our findings will be presented along with instructional implications. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
John B. Buncher North Dakota State University Department of Physics, PO Box 6050 North Dakota State University Fargo, ND 58108 Phone: 701-231-5780 |
Contributed Poster | |
| Contributed Poster: | Download the Contributed Poster |
