• Open Access

Using conceptual blending to describe how students use mathematical integrals in physics

Dehui Hu and N. Sanjay Rebello
Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 9, 020118 – Published 12 November 2013

Abstract

Calculus is used across many physics topics from introductory to upper-division courses. The fundamental concepts of differentiation and integration are important tools for solving real-world problems involving nonuniformly distributed quantities. Research in physics education has reported students’ lack of ability to transfer their calculus knowledge to physics. In order to better understand students’ deficiencies, we collected data from group teaching or learning interviews as students solved physics problems requiring setting up integrals. We adapted the conceptual blending framework from cognitive science to make sense of the ways in which students combined their knowledge from calculus and physics to set up integrals. We found that many students were not able to blend their mathematics and physics knowledge in a productive way though they have the required mathematics knowledge. We discussed the productive and unproductive blends that students created when setting up integrals. The results of the study also suggested possible strategies to shifting students’ constructing of blends to more powerful ones.

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  • Received 29 March 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.9.020118

This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Dehui Hu1,2 and N. Sanjay Rebello1,*

  • 1Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
  • 2School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623, USA

  • *srebello@phys.ksu.edu

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Issue

Vol. 9, Iss. 2 — July - December 2013

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