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  Session: Pre-College PER
  Paper Type: Contributed
  Title: Misconceptions in Wave Propagation and the Principle of Superposition: A Short Study of High School Level Understanding
  Meeting: 2014 Winter Meeting: Orlando, Florida
  Location: N/A
  Date:
  Time: 5:30PM
  Author: Layla M. Quinones, New York University
9176606482, lmq210@nyu.edu
  Co-Author(s): None
  Abstract: This study evaluates and analyzes misconceptions that high school students have regarding wave propagation, transmission. and the principle of superposition.Two groups of students in an inner-city high school were given surveys that sought to identify common misconceptions in wave-physics: a group of juniors who were learning about waves at the time the surveys were given, and a group of seniors who had previous instruction in introductory physics. Surveys consisted of open-response questions that presented basic concepts in wave propagation and superposition for both mechanical and sound waves. Results show that the most common misconceptions for both groups are in the transmission and superposition of waves. Misconceptions where characterized using the wave and object-like models described in the literature.(1)
  Footnotes: 1. Wittmann, M.C. The Object Coordination Class Applied to Wavepulses: Analysing Student Reasoning in Wave Physics. International Journal of Science Education (2002). 24:1, 97 -118
  Presentation: WaveMisconceptionPresentation_quinones.pdf

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