We conducted a study with introductory and upper-division physics students in a Mexican university to learn how students independently recognize the electric field's main characteristics in the electric field lines diagram and as a source or target representation in conversion processes. We used the theory of registers of semiotic representations…

This study aims to determine Turkish high school students' misconceptions about the electric charge imbalance by using a four-tier misconception test, where the main questions are accompanied by a question about the reason for the answer, as well as student declarations about their degrees of certainty. A four-tier electric charge imbalance…

The mathematical form of the magnetic field due to a current loop, and the fact that it is identical to the electric field due to an electric dipole in the far field, are fundamental to our understanding of electromagnetism. While undergraduate level electromagnetism textbooks usually derive the electric field from an electric dipole, few derive…

Electricity, especially the flow of current, is a challenging topic for students of all ages. This study conceptualizes students' explanation of electric current as a cluster of knowledge elements. These clusters, in turn, represent students' mental models of electric circuits. Thus, this study aims to identify and characterize students' mental…

Student learning in simple electric circuits has been extensively studied, which has revealed a large number of persistent misunderstandings. This study applies the conceptual framework model to investigate student difficulties in the knowledge integration perspective. The results are used to guide the design of a concept test that targets the…

In introductory electric circuits in middle school, students often carry strongly held alternative conceptions. Common to many of these is an idea of electric current as some kind of substance that originates from the battery and moves toward electronic components. Learners often argue that current influences those one by one as they are…

Electricity and magnetism are closely related phenomena with a well-known symmetry found in Maxwell equations. An essential part of any electricity and magnetism course includes the analysis of different field source distributions through Gauss's and Ampere's laws to compute and interpret different physical quantities, such as electric flux,…

In this paper I describe an interactive Gauss's law computer simulation using the GlowScript programming environment. The simulation calculates a point charge's electric field at locations on the surface of a Gaussian cube and displays the electric field in GlowScript's 3D graphics window. The point charge can be moved, and the electric field…

The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge of high school students related to conductors at electrostatic equilibrium and electric field lines. The descriptive model was preferred in line with the purpose of the study. The sample of the study consisted of 35 11th grade students, 18 females and 16 males, who were enrolled in a…

The Edison Institute predicts that there will be at least 19 × 10[superscript 6] all-electric vehicles (EVs) in use by 2030. This will produce significant effects on our transportation system and its energy requirements. Investigating these effects is an ideal activity to show the relevance of physics. How efficient are EVs in using energy? What…

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge of prospective physics teachers on capacitors and electric field lines. Sample: The study group consists of 45 prospective physics teachers, 31 of whom are female, 14 of whom are male, studying at a state University in Turkey. Design and methods: A descriptive model was selected as the…

The paper introduces an electronic device named 'Blinker', which is suitable for laboratory work on topics related to electric current and resistance, as it allows the visualization of electric current. The Blinker is well suited for all levels of education if the activities are carefully selected. However, despite other devices used for measuring…

Students are well aware that when an electric current flows through a light bulb, it glows. As their grade increases, they have understood that electric current flows because electric charges move. Since the transfer of electric charges is not visible, students have many cognitive difficulties in understanding this process, and teaching materials…

This article reports the development of a two-tier simple electric circuits test (2T-SEC Test). Simple electric circuits are introduced to students early in their school years and are an important part of the physics curriculum all the way to the university level. However, many students do not develop an adequate conceptual understanding of simple…

This paper describes a student-centered approach to teaching and learning physics in a high school classroom. The teacher designs and uses a 5E learning cycle to teach series and parallel electric circuits. This article provides an example of the implementation of 5E model for a physics lesson to address three-dimensional learning-science and…