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Concepts covered in introductory electricity and magnetism such as electric and magnetic field vectors, solenoids, and electromagnetic waves are difficult concepts for students to visualize. Part of this difficulty may be due to the representation of three-dimensional objects on the two-dimensional planes of course textbooks and classroom whiteboards. The use of two-dimensional platforms limits the visualization of phenomena such as the vector field of a point charge or test charges traveling in the three-dimensional space of an electric field. In addition, working in two dimensions may add to students’ difficulties orienting their body correctly to use the right-hand rule when determining the direction of a magnetic field. These difficulties in visualization may limit the conceptual understanding of these fundamental topics. To promote conceptual understanding of electromagnetism we are cyclically developing and researching three spatial computing 3D environments covering electric fields, magnetic fields and electromagnetic waves. Each environment will be developed and tested in both augmented and virtual reality. The first of our environments, the electric field, has been built and tested in augmented reality (AR) with introductory physics students in the Fall 2023 semester. Our study is currently in phase IV of the National Science Foundation’s Design and Development Cycle. Data collected during phase II is being analyzed to support revision to the environment as well as data collection protocols. This article will outline findings from qualitative data gathered during the AR experience as well as during student post interviews following participation in the electric field space. These findings are characterized and then responded to with recommendations for the design team regarding content and testing procedures. In what follows, we first present a framework listing current knowledge regarding students' difficulties learning electric fields and how these guided our design of this electric field augmented reality environment. We next present themes that emerged from discussions during the experience as well as the post interviews. We conclude with suggestions to inform our second round of environmental design.
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Physics at the Molecular and Cellular Level (P@MCL): A New Curriculum for Introductory Physics
ABSTRACT In this article, I describe a new curriculum for introductory physics for the life sciences, a 2-semester sequence usually required of all biology majors. Because biology-related applications on the macroscale are complex and require mathematics beyond introductory calculus, the focus is entirely on applications from molecular and cellular biology. Topics that are more relevant for engineering have been removed, and topics relevant to biology have been added. The curriculum is designed around 2 main themes: diffusion and electric dipoles. Diffusion illustrates the concepts of conservation of momentum and energy and provides the framework for introducing entropy from the perspective of statistical mechanics. Electric dipoles illustrate the basic concepts of electromagnetic theory and provide the framework for understanding light waves and light interactions with biomolecules. These themes are supported by small computational activities to help students understand the physics without advanced mathematics. This curriculum has been piloted over the past 4 years at Michigan State University and should be applicable to many colleges and universities.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1817307
- PAR ID:
- 10250575
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Biophysicist
- Volume:
- 2
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2578-6970
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 30 to 39
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.35459/tbp.2019.000138
