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Quantitative modeling is an integral learning outcome of many introductory physics labs. One important aspect of quantitative modeling is covariational reasoning -- reasoning about how one quantity changes with another, related quantity. For example, one might ask ‘by how much does the spring force change when the spring is stretched a little bit more?’ While covariational reasoning has been studied extensively in mathematics education research, little work has been done in physics education research to better understand and characterize how students’ reason covariationally in physics courses. In this presentation, we present features of introductory physics students’ emergent covariational reasoning while developing or testing symbolic models in their lab courses. In addition, we compare student and expert physics covariational reasoning to illustrate some potential areas where direct instruction may be improved.

AAPT WM 21

Student Emergent Sense-making about Quantitative Modeling in Introductory Physics Labs

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quantity

covariational reasoning

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. The program featured plenary speakers, sessions, workshops and many special activities.

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AAPT SM 20

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. 

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Many teachers have struggled to connect quantum principles to the traditional high school curriculum.&nbsp; Often these ideas are part of off-topic discussions in which they are simply asserted or partially explained in a hand-waiving manner.&nbsp; This presentation introduces a QuarkNet activity in which high school students analyze simple momentum and position data collected from a 2001 diffraction experiment to empirically discover the famous inverse relationship known as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal.

What Heisenberg Knew: A QuarkNet Data-Based Student Activity

Quantum tic-tac-toe (QTTT) is an educational tool illustrating novel features of quantum systems. Most versions include states, superposition, collapse, and entanglement. While QTTT&nbsp;can provide a foundation for understanding quantum principles, QTTT can also be overwhelming for students new to quantum mechanics. In this talk, we introduce a simplified version of QTTT that does not include entanglement: semiclassical tic-tac-toe (STTT).&nbsp;As a first step toward a systematic development of interactive quantum computing demonstrations and curriculum, we have designed materials for an STTT lesson plan and pilot study. Materials include a pre- and post-test over basic quantum mechanical ideas, an instructor's guide to STTT and QTTT, and a classroom-ready Python-based program featuring classical tic-tac-toe, STTT, and QTTT. We are implementing a pilot study to explore their effectivness in communicating scientific content and the extent to which the inclusion of STTT might enhance student knowledge in introductory physics courses.

Development of Semiclassical Tic-Tac-Toe for Introductory Quantum Mechanics Students

Since 2014 I have taught an introductory quantum information course for general STEM majors, based on notes I am currently developing into a textbook.&nbsp; I report on the structure and content of this course, and its evolution over six offerings so far.&nbsp; Since its inception, this quantum information course has enrolled the majority of its students from outside the physics major (chiefly computer science and mathematics majors).&nbsp; As interest in quantum information science has broadened even over the last six years, I have adjusted materials and presentation to make the course accessible to a wider audience while maintaining the vision of a rigorous and ambitious introductory course. &nbsp; The current course is suitable for the motivated student with a minimal exposure to linear algebra -- matrix multiplication and calculating determinants -- and has been completed by students from all five of the Claremont Colleges as well as several high school students.

Quantum Information for STEM Majors and Advanced High School Students

Quantum information science (QIS) has recently exploded as a research and development focus in both academic and industry settings. In the US this growth was accelerated by the National Quantum Initiative, which I was involved in proposing. This talk describes a course on QIS I created at the University of Oregon and that has been adapted to a virtual course for other university’s use. The course uses examples quantum optics (photon physics) to introduce QIS, while introducing basic quantum mechanics using essentially no mathematics, but relying on rigorous graphical constructions of the equivalents of QM theory. For the virtual course, laboratory demonstrations were performed live by the company Qutools based in Germany, showing for example violation of the Bell inequality, verifying entanglement of photon pairs created by spontaneous parametric down conversion. The recorded lectures and demonstrations videos will be made available

Teaching Quantum Information Science to Undergraduate Science and Nonscience Students

There’s a lot of potential for quantum computers to solve problems in ways that classical computers cannot. At the heart of this potential is quantum information and the way that quantum computers manipulate data. In this session, I’ll introduce some basic concepts in quantum computing, such as quantum bits and quantum gates. I’ll demonstrate how I make these concepts concrete to the audiences I teach, through the use of small programming-based exercises. By the end of this session, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge, learning resources and software tools to help your students explore applications of quantum computing. About the Speaker: Frances Tibble is a Software Engineer at Microsoft Quantum and has a degree in Computing. She enjoys making quantum computing accessible to audiences of varying backgrounds.

Quantum Information: An Introduction to Theory & Tools for Teaching

During the period of prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic in China , college students were unable to return to university campuses&nbsp;for study, which&nbsp;affected their physical and mental states. To change the situation, using the network communication tools and combining their home conditions, we carried out online teaching of a series of experiments in musical physics. Using&nbsp;free softwares&nbsp;like Phyphox students analyzed the musical signals and&nbsp;understood the physcal nature of timbre, consonance of combined tones, relation of modes and vibration from Chladni pattern and structural function&nbsp;of&nbsp;musical instruments they have or self-made. Except&nbsp;knowledge and skills, we also brought happiness to the students. Obviously the teaching effect were excelent. And more importantly, this is a successful attemp to merge&nbsp;Science and Art together through physics and music. We popularized the quality education in&nbsp;Science and Art in fact, which is beneficial to get the promotion.

Musical physics experiment teaching @ home in China

&nbsp;Home-base physics experiment paves an efficient way for the basic physics experimental teaching in this certain epidemic period. Designing of the heuristic multi-leveled home-base physics experiment teaching plan is essential for the guarantee of the student’s non-stop study and the teacher’s non-stop teaching while the Universities are closed, which also helps to form a teacher-student community in this special period. We should also pay attention to the educational function of the course. Heuristic experiment teaching plan relies on the positive exploration of the teacher, which discards the ritual way on the books. The fast development of International Young&nbsp;Physicists’ tournament (IYPT) in China paves the way for deeper reform of the physics experiments courses. The experimental teaching in this special period also gives us efficient indication for the construction of experiment teacher ’team, the construction of library and relative courses.

Exploration on the heuristic multi-leveled home-base physics experiment design

We generalize traditional problem-based learning (PBL) to problem driven interactive learning originated from Socrates. The aim is to teach students how to approach the unknown, by finding, posing, analyzing, and solving problems through student centered interactive learning, in which asking questions actively by students is the key point of teaching process. As a result of interactive learning, both teachers and students are satisfied with the unprecedentedly high level of learning in both their online and face-to-face high-frequency interaction.

Problem Driven Interactive Learning

During the spring semester under Covid-19, following online courses on data evaluation, three modules were offered in the “fundamental physics laboratory” for about 900 freshman students. During their study at home, students were first asked to carry out a project on single pendulum with suitable components, followed by possible improvement and a review session. In the second module, videos on 4 different labs were offered online. Students should watch the video and finish the data evaluation provided as a file. In May, students returned to the campus and finished another four labs in NORMAL teaching laboratory. During the whole semester, students had discussion with teachers and TAs in WeChat groups. A survey was carried out after the course, more than 70% of the students preferred to have labs in laboratory. More detailed results from the survey, as well as hints for teaching lab improvement, will be reported in this talk.

Evaluation the Learning Experience of Lab Courses During the Pandemic

The standardization for the general projects in the courses of college physical experiments can help constructing and improving the teaching of college physical experiments in different type of universities and colleges. The standardization for each project consists of scientific background, the multi-level experimental tasks (including basic, enhanced, advanced and challenge), ability training, knowledge tips, connecting subject, and subsequent and extended experiments et al. Each university/college can choose different experiment based on their characteristics and assemble different tasks from same project for students with different subject and class hours each experiment. This work will introduce the progress of the college physical experimental standardization in China. &nbsp;

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What Heisenberg Knew: A QuarkNet Data-Based Student Activity

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