Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXVI

A qualitative question about work

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXV

A questions about free-body diagrams

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXIV

A question about how force affects momentum

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXIII

A question about systems and system boundaries and the Momentum Principle

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXII

A question about vector computation

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXI

This is the first in a series of sample questions I’ve used in oral interviews.

Oral Interviews as Assessment

TL;DR I have begun using oral interviews as a replacement for traditional written tests and quizzes. There are many advantages for faculty and students, including elimination of paperwork, better chances for understanding students’ state of comprehension, a more relaxed environment, and no possibility for gaming for points. The ongoing pandemic has amplified many questions I […]

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXX

I just realized this is the thirtieth post in this series! I don’t know if anyone has found this series helpful, but I think these questions collectively might make a pool of original exam questions. That’s mainly how I see them anyway. This post is almost a word for word duplicate of the last post […]

Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXIX

Students sometimes see vector dot products in their calculus classes before they see them in their physics classes. Dot products are often presented with two seemingly unrelated definitions, one of which is geometric and coordinate free and the other is in terms of components in a particular basis. Yet, the two give exactly the same […]

Time Steps and Binary Representation in Computer Simulations

TL;DR Using a time step whose decimal representation isn’t exactly representable in binary may lead to confusion over how much total time has elapsed in a computer simulation. It may be worth discussing in class, or worthy of an investigative or inquiry activity. Sometimes, a problem comes up repeatedly over the years and every time […]