Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXVI
A qualitative question about work
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXVIA qualitative question about work
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXVIA questions about free-body diagrams
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXVA question about how force affects momentum
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXIVA question about systems and system boundaries and the Momentum Principle
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXIIIA question about vector computation
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXIIThis is the first in a series of sample questions I’ve used in oral interviews.
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXITL;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 […]
Read More Oral Interviews as AssessmentI 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 […]
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXXStudents 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 […]
Read More Conceptual Understanding in Introductory Physics XXIXTL;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 […]
Read More Time Steps and Binary Representation in Computer Simulations