Related papers: Computation and Experimentation as Equal Partners …
This exploratory field study investigates the integration of innovative forms of recitation tasks in a first-year introductory mechanics course, focusing on smartphone-based experimental tasks alongside programming and standard recitation…
The Open Source Physics community has created hundreds of physics computer models (Wolfgang Christian, Esquembre, & Barbato, 2011; F. K. Hwang & Esquembre, 2003) which are mathematical computation representations of real-life Physics…
Uncertainty is an important and fundamental concept in physics education. Students are often first exposed to uncertainty in introductory labs, expand their knowledge across lab courses, and then are introduced to quantum mechanical…
Electron transport in realistic physical and chemical systems often involves the non-trivial exchange of energy with a large environment, requiring the definition and treatment of open quantum systems. Because the time evolution of an open…
Inspired by the idea that quantum computers can be useful in advancing basic science, we use a quantum processor to experimentally validate a number of theoretical results in non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics, that were not (or were…
A typical introductory treatment of electromagnetism culminates with the investigation of Maxwell's equations, showing the beautiful connection between the concepts covered in the many prior weeks. The lab described here is an experimental…
High-stakes assessments, such the Graduate Records Examination, have transitioned from paper to computer administration. Low-stakes Research-Based Assessments (RBAs), such as the Force Concept Inventory, have only recently begun this…
The quantum mechanical commutation relations, which are directly related to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, have a crucial importance for understanding the quantum mechanics of students. During undergraduate level courses, the…
This paper describes our large reformed introductory physics course at UC Davis, which bioscience students have been taking since 1996. The central feature of this course is a focus on sense-making by the students during the five hours per…
To better understand the deep significance of our best physical theories it could be interesting to compare our Universe with its models. It may happen that the differences between the model and reality can be made indistinguishable, to the…
Design and scientific investigation are recognized as key components of undergraduate physics laboratory curricula. In light of this, many successful lab programs have been developed to train students to develop these abilities, and…
Measurements of angular correlations between initial and final particles in $\beta$ decay remain one of the most promising ways of probing the Standard Model and looking for new physics. As experiments reach unprecedented precision well…
As quantum information science and technology (QIST) is becoming more prevalent and occurring not only in research labs but also in industry, many educators are considering how best to incorporate learning about quantum mechanics into…
The ability to construct, use, and revise models is a crucial experimental physics skill. Many existing frameworks describe modeling in science education at introductory levels. However, most have limited applicability to the context of…
Our understanding of the physics of biological molecules, such as proteins and DNA, is limited because the approximations we usually apply to model inert materials are not in general applicable to soft, chemically inhomogeneous systems. The…
Computational methods are the most effective tools we have besides scientific experiments to explore the properties of complex biological systems. Progress is slowing because digital silicon computers have reached their limits in terms of…
These reports present the results of the 2013 Community Summer Study of the APS Division of Particles and Fields ("Snowmass 2013") on the future program of particle physics in the U.S. Chapter 9, on Computing, discusses the computing…
It is becoming increasingly important that physics educators equip their students with the skills to work with data effectively. However, many educators may lack the necessary training and expertise in data science to teach these skills. To…
One of the objectives of the undergraduate physics curriculum is for students to become aware of the connections between formal physical principles and personal experience. However, research has shown that awareness of connections between…
This is a report on a qualitative study of students' learning where a physics computer simulation session is used to supplement lectures on the topic. Drawing on phenomenography as the analytical framework, the students' learning-focuses…