dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaAddressing student models of energy loss in quantum tunnelling
| Authors | Micael C. Wittmann, Jeffrey T. Morgan, Lei Bao |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0502053 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0502053 |
| DOI | 10.1088/0143-0807/26/6/001 |
Abstract
We report on a multi-year, multi-institution study to investigate student reasoning about energy in the context of quantum tunnelling. We use ungraded surveys, graded examination questions, individual clinical interviews, and multiple-choice exams to build a picture of the types of responses that students typically give. We find that two descriptions of tunnelling through a square barrier are particularly common. Students often state that tunnelling particles lose energy while tunnelling. When sketching wave functions, students also show a shift in the axis of oscillation, as if the height of the axis of oscillation indicated the energy of the particle. We find inconsistencies between students' conceptual, mathematical, and graphical models of quantum tunnelling. As part of a curriculum in quantum physics, we have developed instructional materials to help students develop a more robust and less inconsistent picture of tunnelling, and present data suggesting that we have succeeded in doing so.
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"abstract": "We report on a multi-year, multi-institution study to investigate student\nreasoning about energy in the context of quantum tunnelling. We use ungraded\nsurveys, graded examination questions, individual clinical interviews, and\nmultiple-choice exams to build a picture of the types of responses that\nstudents typically give. We find that two descriptions of tunnelling through a\nsquare barrier are particularly common. Students often state that tunnelling\nparticles lose energy while tunnelling. When sketching wave functions, students\nalso show a shift in the axis of oscillation, as if the height of the axis of\noscillation indicated the energy of the particle. We find inconsistencies\nbetween students\u0027 conceptual, mathematical, and graphical models of quantum\ntunnelling. As part of a curriculum in quantum physics, we have developed\ninstructional materials to help students develop a more robust and less\ninconsistent picture of tunnelling, and present data suggesting that we have\nsucceeded in doing so.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0502053",
"authors": [
"Micael C. Wittmann",
"Jeffrey T. Morgan",
"Lei Bao"
],
"categories": [
"physics.ed-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1088/0143-0807/26/6/001",
"title": "Addressing student models of energy loss in quantum tunnelling",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0502053"
},
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