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Abstract Title: A Comparison of Visual Representations of E&M Plane Waves
Abstract: It is well known that plane waves in electricity and magnetism (E&M) are misunderstood. Particularly, the traditional visual representation of these plane waves is misleading, and students are confused by the waves' three dimensionality. A possible improvement has been designed using an animated vector field. Graduate physics students were presented two different visual representations of E&M plane waves. The students were asked to describe what each visual represents in detail. Students' reactions to those two representations is compared, and insight into the content delivered in each visualization is interpreted as well as insight into the direction of future research on this topic.
Abstract Type: Contributed Poster Presentation
Session Time: Poster Session III
Poster Number: C97
Contributed Paper Record: Contributed Paper Information
Contributed Paper Download: Download Contributed Paper

Author/Organizer Information

Primary Contact: Michael Wilson
North Carolina State University
106 Willow Point Ct
Durham, NC 27703
Phone: 6093691372
Co-Author(s)
and Co-Presenter(s)
Robert Beichner, North Carolina State University