A unified, contemporary approach to teaching energy in introductory physics

Students in introductory physics courses frequently struggle with various aspects of energy analyses. We argue that inconsistencies and errors in the traditional treatment of energy contribute to these student confusions. As an alternative to creating multiple activities to ameliorate student diffic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physics 2019-07, Vol.87 (7), p.504-509
Main Authors: Chabay, Ruth, Sherwood, Bruce, Titus, Aaron
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Energy
Physics
Students
Teaching methods
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Summary:Students in introductory physics courses frequently struggle with various aspects of energy analyses. We argue that inconsistencies and errors in the traditional treatment of energy contribute to these student confusions. As an alternative to creating multiple activities to ameliorate student difficulties, we describe a more coherent, contemporary approach to the teaching of energy that offers students a principled way to avoid confusions.
ISSN:0002-9505
1943-2909
DOI:10.1119/1.5109519