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PST1C11:8:30-9:15 p.m. What Resources Do Physics ExpertsUse When Solving Novel Problems?Poster – Darrick C. Jones, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019; dcjones@physics.rutgers.eduAJ Richards, Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyGorazd Planinsic, University of LjubljanaA central goal of physics education is to help students learn to think like aphysicist when solving problems. But what exactly does it mean to thinklike a physicist? What do physicists do that allows them to successfullysolve and understand complex, novel physics problems? We will presenthow we have searched for an answer to this question by using the resourcesframework to analyze videotaped records of physics experts solving novelproblems. By focusing on moments when physics experts reasoned towardsa deeper understanding of the problem and dissecting their discourseduring these moments, we identify resources that physics experts activateas they make progress through the problem solving process. We search forpatterns to identify resources with epistemological underpinnings whichhelp experts make progress towards understanding a novel phenomenon.We discuss how frequently various resources are used and the implicationsthese findings have on physics instruction.PST1C12: 9:15-10 p.m. How Students Use Visual RepresentationsWhen Solving Charge Distribution ProblemsPoster – Alanna Pawlak, Michigan State University, Biomedical and PhysicalSciences, East Lansing, MI 48824-1046; pawlakal@msu.eduLeanne Doughty, Marcos Caballero, Michigan State UniversityIn physics, we create simplified models of physical systems, which canbe presented visually through the use of representations. Often, multiplerepresentations are available to illustrate different aspects of the samemodel. For example, the area surrounding a charge distribution could bevisualized as being filled with electric field vectors, electric field lines, orequipotential lines. While each representation appears different superficially,it is important that students recognize that each illustrates the samemodel. Additionally, students should be able to determine when a particularrepresentation may be most productive, depending on the aspect of themodel they wish to study. We observed students in small groups completingan activity requiring them to choose one of the previously mentionedrepresentations in order to answer questions about charge distributionsand justify their choice. We present results from analysis of a small numberof videos and the emerging strategy for future investigations.PST1C13: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Teaching Fluids to IPLS Students viaMicroscopic RepresentationsPoster – Daniel E. Young, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03820;deq27@unh.eduDawn C. Meredith, University of New HampshireFor introductory life science students, fluid dynamics is a topic that isimportant, relevant to biology, and yet difficult to understand conceptually.Our study focuses on probing understanding of pressure differentials,vacuums, and Bernoulli’s equation which underpin ideas of fluid flow.Data was collected from written assessments and laboratory exercises inaddition to teaching interviews, and was analyzed using the frameworks ofresource theory and mechanistic reasoning to look for productive studentideas such as a microscopic viewpoint and gradient driven flow. We investigatedwhether a multiple-scale view of matter is useful for students whenconstructing models of pressure and fluid flow and will present both ourmodel and a qualitative analysis of student work.PST1C14: 9:15-10 p.m. Investigating Student Difficulties inUpper-Division ElectromagnetismPoster – Charles Baily, University of St. Andrews, School of Physics andAstronomy, St, Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SS UK; crb6@st-andrews.ac.ukCecilia Astolfi, University of St. AndrewsQing Ryan, Steven Pollock, University of ColoradoExpanding our knowledge of student difficulties in advanced undergraduatephysics courses is essential if we are to develop effective instructionalmaterials. This poster focuses specifically on student difficulties inupper-division electromagnetism. We present quantitative data based onresponses from students at multiple institutions to a research-based conceptualassessment developed at the University of Colorado Boulder (theColorado UppeR-division ElectrodyNamics Test, or CURrENT). We alsopresent qualitative results from interviews with individual students, andobservations of student difficulties during lectures and optional homeworkhelp sessions. Common difficulties include, but are not limited to, relatingthe vectors appearing in Maxwell’s equations in integral form to specificgeometries; understanding the fields associated with an infinite solenoid;and interpreting diagrams and notation for reflection and transmissionproblems.PST1C15: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Introductory Physics Students: Understandingof Electric Potential in DC CircuitsPoster – Ane Leniz, Donostia Physics Education Research Group, Universityof the Basque Country, EHU-UPV Plaza Europa 1 Donostia-San Sebastian,20018 Basque Country, Spain; ane.leniz@ehu.esKristina Zuza, Jenaro Guisasola, Donostia PER GroupElectricity is an area of physics that students find significantly difficult tounderstand. In many introductory physics courses on electricity, the coreof the theory of electric circuits is a set of simple DC circuit laws, whichrelate algebraically voltages, currents, and resistance. These laws are usuallyrelated to the Drude model of electric current. Previous research showsthat relations between electrostatics and electrodynamics are still a sourceof teaching-learning problems in the first years of university. Researchshows that students do not relate concepts studied in electrostatics with thephenomena that occur in electric circuits. This study investigates how studentsfrom two different universities and countries understand the relationbetween potential difference and current in a context close to DC circuits.The results show evidence that in current transitional situations studentsdon’t usually use potential difference to perform the analysis. They showdeficiencies in the explanatory model of charge movement.PST1C16: 9:15-10 p.m. Student Learning of Critical CircuitsConcepts in Physics and Engineering*Poster – Kevin Van De Bogart, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; kevin.vandebogart@maine.eduMacKenzie Stetzer, University of MaineAs part of a new effort to investigate the learning and teaching of conceptsin thermodynamics and electronics that are integral to both undergraduatephysics and engineering programs, we have been examining studentlearning in electrical engineering and physics courses on circuits andelectronics. Due to the considerable overlap in the content coverage, wehave been able to administer the same (or similar) questions to students inboth disciplines. A major goal of this work is to investigate the impact ofdisciplinary context on the nature of student understanding, including theprevalence of specific difficulties. This talk will focus on foundational concepts(e.g., loading) that are critical to the design and analysis of circuits inall courses studied. Preliminary results will be presented and implicationsfor instruction will be discussed.*This work has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation underGrant Nos. DUE-1323426 and DUE-0962805.PST1C17: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Assessing Gender Differences inStudents’ Understanding of MagnetismPoster – Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260;clsingh@pitt.eduJing Li, University of PittsburghWe investigate gender differences in students’ difficulties with concepts relatedto magnetism using a multiple-choice test whose reliability and validityhave been substantiated earlier. We also conduct individual interviewswith a subset of students to get a better understanding of the rationalebehind their responses. We find that females performed significantly worseMonday afternoonJuly 26–30, 2014 81