Vector Addition in Different Contexts

Southey, Philip; Allie, Saalih

doi:10.1119/perc.2014.pr.057

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This result is consistent with numerous previous studies documenting student difficulty with the vector mathematics required to use forces correctly [25,35,36,37]. Our observation that students struggle most solving problems involving linear momentum and angular momentum (Content Area #5) is also consistent with the results of previous studies [45] and might result from these concepts and solutions requiring competency with both calculus and vectors [26]. We suggest that this dual requirement also explains why performance on Content Area #5 provides such high discrimination between students earning a grade of "A" in PHSX 211 and students earning other grades (Figure 6).…”

Section: Applications To Course Assessmentsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…We found that students struggle with force-based mechanics more than energy-based mechanics [26], and that quantitative problem solving with momentum presents the largest difficulty. Taken together, these results are consistent with previously published studies [25,35,36,37,45] and also suggest how instruction methods and time might be adjusted to better serve the needs of students. Finally, these results are also another example of how compentency-based grading could be used in a course prerequisite system.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

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Implementing Competency-Based Grading Improves the Performance of Women and First Generation Students in Introductory Physics

Richard¹,

Delgado²,

LeGresley³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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We present a model for competency-based grading for calculus-based introductory physics that encourages students to obtain proficiency with all course content. By allowing students to continually improve their proficiency with skills and content throughout the semester, this formative grading system is designed to create a more flexible learning environment that better accommodates the varying schedules and needs of students. While all students show improvement in their performance following the implementation of this grading system, the largest gains were found for women and first generation students, both of whom often pose a retention risk in science and engineering degree programs.

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Section: Applications To Course Assessmentsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Implementing Competency-Based Grading Improves the Performance of Women and First Generation Students in Introductory Physics

Richard¹,

Delgado²,

LeGresley³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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show abstract

“…The research on student understanding of vector algebra has included studies on student conceptual understanding of vector properties [14] and the design and assessment of diagnostic tools to assess the level of incoming university students' ability to do vector operations [15][16][17]. More relevant to the current study are those that explore the sources of student difficulty with basic vector concepts and operations [18,19] and those that compare performance on vector operations in different contexts [13,[20][21][22], with different representations [4,[23][24][25], and/or with different interventions [26,27].…”

Section: B Vector Algebramentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the impact of representational and contextual problem features on student use of right-hand rules

Kustusch

2016

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

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Students in introductory physics struggle with vector algebra and these challenges are often associated with contextual and representational features of the problems. Performance on problems about cross product direction is particularly poor and some research suggests that this may be primarily due to misapplied righthand rules. However, few studies have had the resolution to explore student use of right-hand rules in detail. This study reviews literature in several disciplines, including spatial cognition, to identify ten contextual and representational problem features that are most likely to influence performance on problems requiring a right-hand rule. Two quantitative measures of performance (correctness and response time) and two qualitative measures (methods used and type of errors made) were used to explore the impact of these problem features on student performance. Quantitative results are consistent with expectations from the literature, but reveal that some features (such as the type of reasoning required and the physical awkwardness of using a right-hand rule) have a greater impact than others (such as whether the vectors are placed together or separate). Additional insight is gained by the qualitative analysis, including identifying sources of difficulty not previously discussed in the literature and revealing that the use of supplemental methods, such as physically rotating the paper, can mitigate errors associated with certain features.

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“…Vectors are the essential mathematical objects of introductory physics. Students typically experience a number of well-documented difficulties as they learn how to reason with vectors, both in terms of their general mathematical properties [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] and their applications to specific physical scenarios [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. One special type of vector that receives scant attention in the physics education research literature is the inverse-square law.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Four errors students make with inverse-square law vectors

Wallace,

Jones,

Lin

2024

Eur. J. Phys.

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In this paper, we discuss four errors introductory physics students make when attempting to add two inverse-square law vectors. We observe multiple instances in which students 1) add vectors as if they were scalars, 2) project the r (or r^2) in the denominator, instead of the entire vector, when attempting to find the vector's components, 3) incorrectly apply the Pythagorean theorem when attempting to calculate the magnitude of the resultant vector, and 4) incorrectly relate the signs of the components of an electric field (or force) to the signs of the electric charges. While these are not the only errors students make, they are the most frequently occurring based on our analysis of 678 exams taken by students in either introductory mechanics or electricity and magnetism (E&M). We then show how these errors can be encoded into a new type of activity or assessment question which we call a ``student error task." Introductory physics instructors can use the student error task in this paper as a way to engage or assess their students' understandings of how to add two inverse-square law vectors.

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Vector Addition in Different Contexts

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Implementing Competency-Based Grading Improves the Performance of Women and First Generation Students in Introductory Physics

Implementing Competency-Based Grading Improves the Performance of Women and First Generation Students in Introductory Physics

Assessing the impact of representational and contextual problem features on student use of right-hand rules

Four errors students make with inverse-square law vectors

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