126
Portland
Wednesday afternoon
mology remained unclear. I have continued the study by adding anony-
mous survey questions that probe why students chose to include what they
did, how (if at all) the card was helpful, and how their card preparation
changed throughout the semester.
GA09:
4-4:10 p.m. A Zero Transfer Worked Example
Experiment
Contributed – Noah Schroeder, University of Illinois, 1110 W. Green St.,
Urbana, IL 61801;
Tim Stelzer, University of Illinois
Worked example research often measures effectiveness by assessing student
understanding through a near transfer problem. Failure has been attributed
to many things, among them student overconfidence in understanding a
given worked example. This experiment directly measured this overconfi-
dence by assessing students with a “zero transfer” task. In this experiment,
students were shown a worked example to a homework problem, and then
asked later on to reproduce the worked example. Results, including student
performance and confidence ratings, will be shown.
GA10:
4:10-4:20 p.m. Exploring Different Course Formats Via
AP Scores and Epistemic Games
Contributed – Jonathan V. Mahadeo, Florida International University, 1433
Banyan Way, Weston, FL 33327;
Adrienne L. Traxler, Eric Brewe Florida, International University
For this project we used the advanced placement (AP) grading system
to evaluate university student responses for an AP Physics problem on a
common final exam given to six separate introductory course sections.
The sections were grouped into Inquiry based (IQB), lecture/lab/recitation
(LLR), and lecture/lab (LL) course formats. Via the AP grading rubric, we
found that each of the course types scored statistically differently with IQB
highest, lecture/lab second, and lecture/lab/recitation third. To extend the
interpretation of these differences, student work was subjected to a second-
ary analysis using the framework of epistemic forms and epistemic games.
1
In this secondary analysis, we interpret written student responses as evi-
dence of student moves in six types of knowledge-constructing games. We
code differences between student problem solutions to identify different
epistemic games being played. These data are interpreted in conjunction
with scores on the AP problem to identify trends by course format.
1. J. Tuminaro and E.F. Redish “Elements of a cognitive model of physics problem
solving: Epistemic games.”
Physical Review Special Topics-Physics Education Research
3.
2 (2007): 020101. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.3.020101 Florida International
University Physics Education Group NSF Award 0802184 HHMI Award 52006924
Session GB: Quantum & Condensed
Matter Labs Beyond the First Year
Location: Broadway I/II
Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories
Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education
Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 2:40–4:20 p.m.
Presider: Gabe Spalding
GB01:
2:40-3:10 p.m. Measuring the Phonon Spectrum of
Silicon Using a Tunnel Diode
Invited – Kurt Vandervoort, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona,
Physics and Astronomy, 3801 W. Temple, Pomona, CA 91768;
An experiment was developed for our senior-level laboratory to examine
the properties of a tunnel diode. Tunnel diodes were invented in the late
1950s and represented the first way to produce a junction that allowed
reproducible measurements of the tunneling current. The students perform
two experiments to examine the properties of this unique device. They
measure the room temperature current vs. voltage curve which reveals a
region of negative dynamic resistance (where increasing voltage leads to
decreasing current). They also measure the first and second derivatives
of the I-V curve for a diode immersed in liquid nitrogen, revealing peaks
at voltages associated with energies of phonons assisting in the tunneling
process. As a primary goal of the course, students are introduced to preci-
sion circuits and instrumentation, namely, a dual-phase lock-in amplifier,
and precision multimeters interfaced through the LabVIEW programming
language.
GB02:
3:10-3:40 p.m. Diode Laser-based Experiments in
Rubidium Vapor for the Advanced Laboratory
Invited – Shannon Mayer, University of Portland, 5000 N Williamette Blvd.,
Portland, OR 97203;
Saturated absorption spectroscopy, performed on the 5S1/2 - 5P3/2 transi-
tion in rubidium vapor (wavelength = 780.24 nm), has become a common
experiment in the advanced laboratory. We describe three additional
experiments that can be performed in rubidium using grating-feedback
diode lasers. The first experiment uses a single laser operating at 778.1 nm
to investigate the 5S1/2 - 5D5/2 two-photon transition in rubidium. The
experiment yields Doppler-free spectral features and provides students
with an opportunity to investigate electric dipole selection rules. The sec-
ond experiment uses two lasers (wavelength = 780.24 nm and wavelength
= 776.0 nm) to coherently control photons via electromagnetically induced
transparency (EIT). In the third experiment two lasers are used to generate
a collimated beam of blue light with high temporal and spatial coherence.
This collection of experiments introduces students to contemporary topics
in nonlinear optics and quantum coherence while utilizing equipment
from the absorption spectroscopy laboratory.
GB03:
3:40-3:50 p.m. Numerical Experiments for Statistical
Physics: Adjuncts to the Laboratory
Contributed – Norman Chonacky, Yale University, Department of Applied
Physics, Becton Center, New Haven, CT 06520-8284;
Marie Lopez del Puerto, University of St. Thomas
Based upon a national survey
1
of the use of computation in undergraduate
physics departments, there is clear evidence that computational methodol-
ogy is not an integral part of courses as are theory and experiment. This is
most marked at the upper-division level where experiments are also under-
represented and theory dominates. I ask, does this service our undergradu-
ate majors well? I present computational statistical physics exercises
2
as
examples appropriate for both lecture and laboratory, and that aspire to
bridge that gap between theory and experiment while better serving the
needs
3
of all undergraduate physics majors.
1. R.G. Fuller, “Numerical computations in U.S. undergraduate physics courses,”
Comput. Sci. Eng
. 8
(5), 16-21 (2006).
2. N.J. Chonacky and M. Lopez del Puerto, “Statistical Physics:” Partnership for
Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (PICUP)
physicsed.org/statistical_physics.php (2012).
3. R. Ivie and K. Stowe “The Early Careers of Physics Bachelors”, American Institute
of Physics, College Park, MD 20740-3843, (2002).
GB04:
3:50-4 p.m. Two-Dimensional Advanced Laboratory
Thermodynamics Experiment
Contributed – Patrick G. McDougall,* California State University, Chico, 400
W 1st St., Chico, CA 95929;
Eric Ayars, California State University, Chico
We present a novel apparatus for two-dimensional heat flow measurements
in an undergraduate Advanced Lab or thermodynamics course. The ap-
paratus uses an Arduino microcontroller to measure temperatures to high
precision at 100 points on a square metal plate in real time. This tempera-
ture and time data can then be compared with computational solutions to
the heat equation for the metal plate. The combination of thermodynam-
ics, computational modeling, and experimental measurement provides an
interesting (and challenging!) Advanced Lab experiment.
*Sponsored by Eric Ayars
