Presents a problem solving approach which follows a pathway allowing students to visualize patterns, have an overview of the problem, and clarify the connections. Investigates the quality of student constructed pathways and reports greater success with the approach on difficult problems rather than easy ones. (Contains 13 references.) (YDS)

Presents data from 10 years of teaching using Peer Instruction (PI) in calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics courses for non-majors. Results indicate increased mastery of both conceptual reasoning and quantitative problem solving upon implementing PI. Discusses ways to improve the implementation of PI. (Contains 34 references.)…

Presents a problem involving the double-slit interference pattern that relates to the real-world situation of guiding an aircraft to a safe landing. (JRH)

Provides a schematic to build a black box experiment that uses light bulbs of various intensities. The students are to determine the complex circuit by unscrewing the bulbs and noting what happens. (MVL)

Uses student-formed groups during recitation periods to solve problems and develop concepts. (MVL)

Investigated skills needed for critical reading of physics texts, their separability and hierarchical ranking, and relation to problem solving ability. Reports that skills required to comprehend texts in continuous format and discriminate unreported statements are respectively of higher level than and separable from those required to comprehend a…

The use and misuse of the superposition principle to analyze electrical circuits are discussed. (KR)

Perturbation theory is presented as an invaluable tool for solving a majority of physically interesting problems involving both macroscopic and microscopic objects. Its use in Newtonian mechanics is emphasized.. The method is illustrated with three examples. (KR)

Investigates how 10th-grade students acquire, extend, and successively relate knowledge about qualitative and quantitative aspects of classical mechanics. Analysis of the multicomponent tests revealed that qualitative, as well as quantitative, knowledge can be taught successfully using concept maps. (Author/CCM)

Investigates the effect of the presence of context in physics problems by comparing the performance of physics students (n=8) on two sets of matched problems. Results indicate that the students performed better on the tasks with context. Reports that real-life context plays an important role in the ability to visualize the problem. (JRH)

Hypothesizes that the construction of visual models, resolution of these visual models with numeric models and, in many cases, rejection of commitments such as the belief in one true velocity, are necessary for students to form integrated mental models of relative motion events. Studies high school students' relative motion problem solving.…

Not only are rubber bands great for binding objects together, but they can be used in a simple science experiment that involves predicting, problem solving, measuring, graphing, and experimenting. In this article, the author describes how rubber bands can be used to teach the force of mass.

An integral, either definite or improper, cannot always be computed by elementary methods, such as reversed usage of differentiation formulae. Graphical properties, in particular symmetries, can be useful to compute the integral, via an auxiliary computation. We present graded examples, then prove a general result. (Contains 4 figures.)