PERC 2018 Abstract Detail Page
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Abstract Title: | Student Sense Making about Equipotential Graphs |
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Abstract: | The electric potential is often represented graphically using equipotential contours. Representing a multivariable function in this way can be challenging to interpret. A strategy for making sense of a contour graph is to try to make connections to other physical and mathematical ideas. We describe how upper-level physics students make sense of two-dimensional contour graphs of electric potential on a matched pair of open-ended questions given at the beginning and end of a junior-level electrostatics course. Students predominantly discussed the sign, shape, and location of the charged objects that give rise to the potential. We also find that while some students discuss how the potential changes in space, they rarely connect the potential explicitly to an electric field. These results suggest students have intuitions about the relationship between potential and sources that might be useful for studying Poisson's equation but may need support in leveraging gradient information on contour maps. |
Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
Session Time: | Poster Session III |
Poster Number: | C21 |
Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
Primary Contact: |
Paul J. Emigh Oregon State University 2410 NW Rolling Green Dr Apt. 41 Corvallis, OR 97330 Phone: 4806123411 |
Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Jonathan Alfson (Oregon State University) Elizabeth Gire (Oregon State University) |
Contributed Poster | |
Contributed Poster: | Download the Contributed Poster |