Agent-oriented pedagogies have been used in teaching concepts related to complex systems dynamics. However, little research has systematically explored the role of a strong agency-oriented focus on understanding of complex, dynamic ecological systems. This study analyzed seventh graders' (n = 216) explanations of a complex ecological scenario. The…

If a body is in equilibrium under the action of three non-parallel coplanar forces, the forces must be concurrent (Muncaster 1993 "A Level Physics" 4th edn (Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes) p 44, 45, 49; Goh 2018 "Phys. Teach." 56 384). It is easy to show that they are concurrent when the forces meet at a point in the body…

Energy is an important crosscutting concept in all science disciplines, and energy conservation is widely regarded as one of the most important principles in physics. Over the years, numerous graphical representations have been proposed that allow learners of physics to visualize energy states and dynamics in a particular situation. Each diagram…

The sensation of weightlessness is common to an astronaut in a spaceship orbiting Earth and to a person aboard a freely falling elevator. This paper presents a detailed treatment of this commonality by showing that a spaceship orbiting Earth is in permanent free fall toward the planet, appropriate for use in the introductory classroom.

Symmetry and invariance play a fundamental role in modern physics and related disciplines, and students entering a STEM field need practice with symmetry-based arguments as part of the preparation for their future careers. We refer to symmetry based solutions as those that either make use of the existing geometric symmetry in a problem to simplify…

Optics is one of the subject areas in which students have difficulty learning. Establishing the right connections between the concepts of optics and daily life supports the learning of the concepts of optics. In addition, this connection increases the students' motivation to learn optical issues. In this study, three activities related to prisms…

The equivalent resistance calculation for two circuits in cubic arrangements is solved. Emphasis is placed on the plastic (topological) properties of these circuits. In contrast, the opposite topological behaviour of an analogous arrangement is observed in the calculus of a magnetic field. It is also noted that the solved examples may be used as a…

The stereotypical situation of a snowball picking up both mass and speed as it rolls without slipping down a hill provides an opportunity to explore the general form of both translational and rotational versions of Newton's second law through multivariable differential equations. With a few reasonable assumptions, it can be shown that the snowball…

Learning thermodynamics requires understanding abstract topics such as entropy and spontaneity. Students tend to rely on metaphors and everyday meanings to reason about these topics. This study investigates how students explain dissolution and precipitation using the concepts of entropy and spontaneity. Students from general chemistry, physical…

Single-type, 8-fold-grooved, commercially accessible interlocking disks (ILDs) have been used for modeling of complex polyhedral and reticular topologies with relevance to inorganic and hybrid materials. The assembly of complex topologies relies on the preparation of secondary building units (SBUs), which exhibit different connectivity than that…

This paper shows how a freely downloadable and powerful software package, "SMath Studio," can be used to model physical systems in physics teaching. The software can form the basis of lecture demonstrations by teachers or can be used individually by students working in an educational environment or on their own home computers.

Many physics textbooks describe the way in which a capacitor in an RC circuit charges and discharges over time. A circuit that consists of a capacitor that is connected to a voltage divider as shown in Fig. 1 is commonly addressed, but the textbooks limit the discussion to the time immediately after the switch is closed and a long time after the…

Water can exhibit many different colors due to a variety of physical properties. Here, we focus on some observable colors within very pure freshwater. We only treat the absorption of light due to electronic and ro-vibrational excitations and scattering due to refractive index fluctuations of the water and the respective consequences for the…

This article describes a system of analysis aimed at characterizing students' scientific explanations. Science education literature and reform documents have been highlighting the importance of scientific explanations for students' conceptual understanding and for their understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge. Nevertheless, and despite…

In this study we have attempted, firstly, to describe programming protocols developed for the teaching of an Electromagnetism course in the university degrees of Electrical Engineering and Energy Engineering, and secondly, to evaluate students' satisfaction with the simulation practices through MATLAB® programming. The main objective of the…