NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1223140
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Sep
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-9120
EISSN: N/A
Pulses as Not-Objects: Student Responses to a New Question about the Superposition of Mechanical Waves
Robertson, Amy D.; Goodhew, Lisa M.; Heron, Paula R. L.; Scherr, Rachel E.
Physics Education, v54 n5 Article 055023 Sep 2019
Existing accounts of student thinking about mechanical wave propagation and superposition emphasize that students sometimes treat wave pulses as objects, saying, for example, that pulses bounce off of one another when they meet. In this paper, we present a context in which students explicitly reason about pulses as not-objects, instead describing pulses as disturbances or energy and arguing that pulses can be in the same place at the same time. Our analysis highlights that students have resources for thinking about mechanical wave pulses and that student thinking is context-dependent.
IOP Publishing. 190 North Independence Mall West Suite 601, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 215-627-0880; Fax: 215-627-0879; e-mail: ped@ioppublishing.org; Web site: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0031-9120
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California; Washington
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A