Related papers: Computational Essays in the Physics Classroom
Computability logic is a formal theory of computational tasks and resources. Its formulas represent interactive computational problems, logical operators stand for operations on computational problems, and validity of a formula is…
In recent years we have explored using Haskell alongside a traditional mathematical formalism in our large-enrolment university course on topics including logic and formal languages, aiming to offer our students a programming perspective on…
While motivation is of great interest to computing educators, relatively little work has been done on understanding faculty attitudes toward student motivation. Two previous qualitative studies of instructor attitudes found results…
Interactive proof assistants make it possible for ordinary mathematicians to write definitions and theorems in a formal proof language, like a programming language, so that a computer can parse them and check them against the rules of a…
Physics faculty care about their students learning physics content. In addition, they usually hope that their students will learn some deeper lessons about thinking critically and scientifically. They hope that as a result of taking a…
The introduction of generative artificial intelligence applications to the public has led to heated discussions about its potential impacts and risks for K-12 education. One particular challenge has been to decide what students should learn…
In this course, I talk about the source of mathematical constructivism and its role in the future development of theoretical physics. I describe what physical constructivism is and why it is necessary for the penetration of exact methods of…
Students taking introductory physics are rarely exposed to computational modeling. In a one-semester large lecture introductory calculus-based mechanics course at Georgia Tech, students learned to solve physics problems using the VPython…
Experience with experimental and computational work are important components of students' understanding of the practice of physics. Physics departments typically use specific experimental lab courses and computational lab courses to develop…
Computational mechanics, an approach to structural complexity, defines a process's causal states and gives a procedure for finding them. We show that the causal-state representation--an $\epsilon$-machine--is the minimal one consistent with…
Pre-college mathematics modeling instruction often frames mathematics as being separated from reasoning about the real world -- and commonly treats reasoning mathematically and reasoning about the real-world context as separate stages of a…
Acquiring the mathematical, conceptual, and problem-solving skills required in university-level physics courses is hard work, and the average student often lacks the knowledge and study skills they need to succeed in the introductory…
In experimental physics, lab notebooks play an essential role in the research process. For all of the ubiquity of lab notebooks, little formal attention has been paid to addressing what is considered `best practice' for scientific…
Covariational reasoning -- how one thinks about the way changes in one quantity affect another quantity -- is essential to calculus and physics instruction alike. As physics is often centered on understanding and predicting changes in…
We describe a project-based computational physics course developed using a backwards course design approach. From an initial competency-based model of problem solving in computational physics, we interviewed faculty who use these tools in…
An age-old controversy in mathematics concerns the necessity and the possibility of constructive proofs. The controversy has been rekindled by recent advances which demonstrate the feasibility of a fully constructive mathematics. This…
We describe a way to introduce physics high school students with no background in programming to computational problem-solving experiences. Our approach builds on the great strides made by the Modeling Instruction reform curriculum. This…
In this paper, we examine the state art of quantum computing and analyze its potential effects in scientific computing and cybersecurity. Additionally, a non-technical description of the mechanics of the listed form of computing is provided…
Engaging students in teaching foundational Computer Science concepts is vital for the student's continual success in more advanced topics in the field. An idea of a series of Jupyter notebooks was conceived as a way of using Bloom's…
As educators push for students to learn science by doing science, there is a need for computational scaffolding to assist students' evaluation of scientific evidence and argument building. In this paper, we present a pilot study of SciNote,…