final-program-12-23-14-3

Sunday afternoon
CC02:
4:30-5 p.m. Introductory Theoretical Physics: An Activitybased
Course
Invited – Robert J. Boyle,* Dickinson College, Department of Physics
and Astronomy, Tome Hall, Carlisle, PA 17013-2896; robert.james.
boyle@mac.com
The development, evolution and underlying philosophy of Dickinson’s
course, Introduction to Theoretical Physics, will be discussed. Created
with the help of an NSF grant, the course was designed as a projectcentered
presentation of introductory and intermediate mathematical
topics with an “impedance matching” role. Motivating projects and a
guided-inquiry approach to mathematics theory would be used to introduce
students, who might come to the physics major with a variety
of preparations in formal mathematics, to the tools they would need
for advanced courses. The challenge in the design of such a course
was to introduce these tools without either repeating the applications
students would see in those advanced courses, or presenting the
mathematics in a purely formal manner divorced from applications.
The challenge was met in part by discussing topics that many majors
might not otherwise encounter, including some topics in astronomy
and astrophysics.
*Sponsored by Juan R. Burciaga
CC03: 5-5:30 p.m. Unpacking Student Challenges in Middle-
Division Classical Mechanics/Math Methods
Invited – Marcos Caballero, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson
Road, East Lansing, MI 48824-1046; caballero@pa.msu.edu
At the University of Colorado Boulder, we have transformed our
middle-division classical mechanics and math methods course using
principles of active engagement and learning theory. As part of that
work, we are investigating how students use math, and how they connect
math with physics. To better understand students’ use of math,
we developed (through task analysis) an analytical framework that
helps to organize and to provide some coherence among the difficulties
that students present on written work and in interview settings.
Among other contexts, we have used this framework to understand
students’ use of Taylor series in physics problems. More recently, at
Michigan State University, we have begun observing students working
in groups while they solve canonical back-of-the-book problems.
These in situ observations are leading us to unpack students’ in-themoment
reasoning strategies. We are developing theoretical tools to
investigate how students solve such problems.
CC04: 5:30-6 p.m. Mathematical Methods in the Paradigms in
Physics Curriculum*
Invited – Corinne A. Manogue, Oregon State University, Weniger Hall
301, Corvallis, OR 97331; corinne@physics.oregonstate.edu
David Roundy, Oregon State University
In the Paradigms in Physics program at Oregon State University,
we have implemented a unique combination of “just in time” math
methods integrated into physics content courses for the early upperdivision,
combined with a later, separate Mathematical Methods
course. This order is exactly the reverse of many other institutions that
teach a sophomore level Math Methods course and advanced topics
integrated into physics content courses. We will discuss why we made
our choice and which content we chose to address in each part. In
addition, we will share a number of unique hands-and-bodies-on activities
that make esoteric math topics in thermodynamics, quantum
mechanics, and E&M more vivid and geometric for the students.
*This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation
under Grant Nos. 1023120, 1323800. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
CC05: 4-6 p.m. Kinetic Energy in Galilean and Special Relativity
– A Unified Derivation
Poster – Roberto Salgado, Univ. of Wisconsin - La Crosse, Dept of
Physics, 1725 State St., La Crosse, WI 54601; rsalgado@uwlax.edu
CC06:
The expression for the relativistic kinetic energy bears little resemblance
to its classical counterpart, as noted by Kleppner and
Kolenkow in their mechanics textbook. Using Spacetime Trigonometry,*
a unified presentation of Euclidean geometry and Galilean and
Minkowskian spacetime geometries, we show that the kinetic energy
can be expressed in terms of the Galilean and Minkowskian analogues
of a now little-used trigonometric function: the Versed-Sine. Our
derivation of the relativistic work-energy theorem becomes much
shorter than that of Kleppner and Kolenkow.
*Aspects of Spacetime Trigonometry can be found at http://www.aapt.org/
doorway/Posters/SalgadoPoster/SalgadoPoster.htm.
4-6 p.m. Teaching Quantum Mechanical Math Using an
Elastic Solid Model
Poster – Robert A. Close, Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way,
Vancouver, WA 98663; robert.close@classicalmatter.org
One difficulty in teaching quantum mechanics is that the concept
of angular momentum density is not generally understood. This is primarily
because the usual treatment of elastic waves in solids assumes
infinitesimal rotations. We derive the equation of evolution of classical
angular momentum density, which is independent of the choice of origin
(and radius vector). Using a simple wave interpretation of Dirac
bispinors (yes, simple!), we show that Dirac’s equation of evolution for
spin angular momentum density is a special case of our more general
equation. We derive a Dirac Lagrangian and Hamiltonian and show
that they have a familiar interpretation in terms of elastic and kinetic
energy. Dynamical momentum and angular momentum operators are
equivalent to those of quantum mechanics. Spin and orbital angular
momentum are associated with motion of the solid medium and the
wave, respectively.
CD01:
Session CD: Technology-Enhanced
Teaching Environments
Location: Nautilus Hall 3
Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies
Date: Sunday, January 4
Time: 4–5:40 p.m.
Presider: Jeff Groff
4-4:30 p.m. When Form Meets Function – Designing a
Next Generation Technology-Rich Collaborative Learning
Environment
Invited – Chris Whittaker, Dawson College, 4001 de Maisoneuve West,
Montreal, QC H3Z 3G4 Canada; cwhittaker@place.dawsoncollege.
qc.ca
Elizabeth S. Charles, Dawson College
Active learning classrooms are still relatively new to colleges and
universities across North America. The development and growth in
popularity over the last decade of pioneering classroom designs such
as SCALE-UP was a natural next-step as the evidence for active learning
pedagogies mounted and interest turned to designing classrooms
that complemented constructivist and social constructivist educational
paradigms. Building on these models of success, we believe that we
have taken an important next-step in classroom evolution by integrating
Student-Dedicated Interactive Whiteboard (SDIW) technology
in a way that enriches collaborative student processes and classroom
orchestration. Unlike personal computing devices, SDIWs are shared
spaces that allow for the creation and manipulation of dynamic learning
artifacts by an entire group of students or class. We will review
our classroom design, present results of student surveys as well as
preliminary results of a design-experiment to investigate factors that
promote or constrain student collaboration and learning.
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