The subject of physics can sometimes seem esoteric and challenging to engineering students. It would be beneficial to create a more conducive learning environment for them by combining words, mathematical equations, graphs, and diagrams to increase their problem-solving abilities. It has been demonstrated in mechanics that employing multiple…

The problem here dealt with concerns physics education, and specifically the concept of force. The idea behind this research is that a historical approach to the teaching of such a notion is of great help for the students to fully understand the meaning of this basic physical magnitude. For, most of scientific concepts can be better grasped by the…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Qualitative Methods in PER: A Critical Examination.] Epistemic beliefs about physics are most often investigated using quantitative instruments that reflect binary conceptualizations of those beliefs. This study reports from a qualitative study which used continua to represent the epistemic beliefs…

In introductory texts, some "special" rays are selected to draw the image produced by lenses and mirrors. After teaching special rays, students usually ask how to draw an arbitrary ray. One method for drawing an arbitrary ray is the "tilted principal axis." As an example, the tracing of an arbitrary ray in diverging lens is…

In this part we introduce the Smart Dreamcatcher (SD) network, a visualization of the Microcosmos. The SD-network is a geometrical structure (3-uniform hypergraph) which allows a comprehensible explanation of quantitative characteristics of hadron particles at the level of elaboration by physics of 1970's-80's. The elementary particles correspond…

In 1981 I published a note on "Balancers" as part of a series of illustrations drawn from 19th-century physics texts. Some months later a wonderful present arrived from a physics teacher in Japan, showing the range of our journal. This was the Horse and Rider Balancer in Fig. 1 that was just like the woodcut in my note. The little…

The cross diagram is a way to illustrate and plan the solutions for all kinds of constant-acceleration kinematics problems--including projectile motion, multistage, and multiple-object problems. The cross diagram arranges the kinematic variables in a logical way, making the kinematic relationships between them easy to identify. Combined with a…

Numerosity perception has been studied for at least 150 years and its psychophysics have been well characterized by experimental work. However, the origins of many of its key properties remain obscure. For instance, people estimate the numerosity of small sets (up to four) much more rapidly and accurately than larger sets; people tend to…

Lissajous figures are parametric equations that deconstruct into equations of simple harmonic motion. They were a source of inspiration by artists and mathematicians alike, well before the digital age, due to their esthetic forms and simple equations that could be easily deconstructed. Here for the first time in literature, we present Lissajous…

We aim to graphically analyze the depth of conceptual understanding behind the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) responses of students, focusing on three questions (questions 1, 15, and 28). In our study, we created and implemented subquestions to clarify and quantify the students' reasoning steps in reaching their responses to the original FCI…

Diagrams are ubiquitous in physics, especially in physics education and physics problem solving. Physics problem solvers may generate diagrams to orient to a scenario, to organize information, to directly obtain an answer, or as a tool of communication. In this study, we asked 19 undergraduate and graduate physics majors to answer 18…

Possibly the greatest irony of physics education is the difficulty of demonstrating optics in a visible way. The two most common solutions to this conundrum are to either use "all-inclusive" optical apparatuses, like a large-format camera, or to rely on classic ray-tracing diagrams. While the former looks elegant while demonstrating the…

Students often use incoherent strategies in their problem solving involving force and motion, as revealed, e.g. when they are asked to draw force diagrams for amusement rides involving circular motion, whether in horizontal or vertical planes. Depending on the questions asked, assignments involving circular motion can reveal different types of…

Contribution: Visual maps that illustrate how mathematics, physics, and electrical engineering classes are connected to each other during the first two years of the electrical engineering curriculum were developed. Key terminology and differences in presentation between fields are discussed. Background: Experience has shown that engineering…

Contribution: An innovative approach utilizing interactive software paired with stereoscopic projection hardware is introduced to enhance the teaching and learning of solid-state physics. This method is distinctive for its integration of complex 3-D visualizations directly into classroom instruction, facilitating a deeper understanding of abstract…