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Session:
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Paper Type:
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Contributed
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Title:
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Advanced Mechanics Students' Conflicts Between Physics and Mathematics Intuitions
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Meeting:
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129th AAPT National Meeting: Sacramento, CA |
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Location:
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Union Ballroom III |
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Date:
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Wednesday, Aug. 4 |
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Time:
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3:30PM
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Author:
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Eleanor Sayre, Univ. of Maine
207-356-2792, le@fructose.umephy.maine.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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Michael C. Wittmann
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Abstract:
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As part of ongoing research into cognitive processes and student thought, we have investigated conflicts between physics and mathematics intuitions in advanced mechanics students. Students compared various damped and undamped harmonic motions using both differential equations and verbal descriptions of physical systems. We present evidence from a reformed sophomore-level mechanics class which contains both both tutorial1 and lecture components. Preliminary data suggest that mathematics and physics intuitions, even in advanced students, are poorly linked and occasionally lead to conflicting predictions.
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Footnotes:
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1. Bradley S. Ambrose, "Investigating student understanding in intermediate mechanics: Identifying the need for a tutorial approach to instruction," Am. J. Phys. 72 (4), 453-459 (2004).
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