Living Physics Portal: Reading the physics in a graphs problems

Abstract: Graphs can be a powerful tool in helping students learn to build the blend between physical concepts and mathematical symbology to develop their physical intuition and ability to think with math. This unit contains 26 homework problems about waves in 1D. Problems are presented in two forms: as PDFs with solutions and access restricted to instructors, and as links the to ComPADRE version that can be assigned to students. The problems are also available in a (mostly) autograded commercial version (ExpertTA).

Resource Types: Homework, Instructor supplement, Restricted access

Authors:

Edward Redish (he/him)

University of Maryland, College Park

NEXUS Physics

Living Physics Portal Team

TOPICS

Physics Topics:

Oscillations & Waves > Wave Motion > Standing Waves, Transverse Pulses and Waves, Wave Packets

Life Sciences Topics:

Human and Animal Physiology > Neurophysiology > Healthy Neural Function

Molecular and Cellular Biology > Cellular Structure

Chemistry Topics:

None

Math Topics:

Graphical Analysis

FILES Download0

Reading the physics in a graphs problems - Waves

Action potential in motion.pdf

Action potentials on an axon.pdf

Adding pulses 1.pdf

Adding pulses 2.pdf

Adding pulses.pdf

An earthquake wave.pdf

Canceling pulses.pdf

Combining pulses.pdf

Complex wave shapes.pdf

Displacement and velocity patterns in waves.pdf

Graphing a pulse on a string 1.pdf

Graphing a pulse on a string 2.pdf

Graphing a pulse on a string 3.pdf

Making a pulse move.pdf

Motion in a standing wave.pdf

Moving a non-symmetric triangular pulse.pdf

Moving with the pulse.pdf

Overlapping pulses.pdf

Propagating a Gaussian pulse 1.pdf

Propagating a Gaussian pulse 2.pdf

Representations of elastic strings.pdf

Sinusoidal waves on a beaded string.pdf

Standing and traveling waves.pdf

Waves and velocities.pdf

Action potential in motion.url

Action potentials on an axon.url

Adding pulses.url

Adding pulses 1.url

Adding pulses 2.url

An earthquake wave.url

Canceling pulses.url

Combining pulses.url

Complex wave shapes.url

Displacement and velocity patterns in waves.url

Graphing a pulse on a string 1.url

Graphing a pulse on a string 2.url

Graphing a pulse on a string 3.url

Making a pulse move.url

Motion in a standing wave.url

Moving a non-symmetric triangular pulse.url

Moving with the pulse.url

Overlapping pulses.url

Propagating a Gaussian pulse 2.url

Propagating a Gaussian pulse 1.url

Representations of elastic strings.url

Sinusoidal waves on a beaded string.url

Spring vs string (graphs).url

Standing and traveling waves.url

Waves and velocities.url

Action potential in motion.pdf

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INSTRUCTOR GUIDE

IMPLEMENTATION

Equipment required: Computers / software

Specific equipment needed: Computers needed to access the problems, though they could be printed and distributed on paper.

Basic implementation tips & tricks: When students struggle with homework problems, it's valuable to encourage them to work together rather than giving them answers or explanations. It's therefore useful to set up spaces where they can get together to work on homework with an instructor available for help as a last resort. (That will be less often than you — and they — might expect!)

How does this resource fit into the flow of your course? I bring graphs in to whatever topic is being discussed throughout the class. The readings are assigned during the section on kinematics. Whatever topics we are discussing, I explicitly use graphs for coding physical information in lecture, homework, quizzes, exams, and group learning activities. Homework on graphs on a particular topic are typically assigned after the readings, after discussions in lecture, and after group activities if one is available. I assign a graph problem on almost every homework, quiz, and exam. My lessons on waves rely particularly heavily on graphs and their physical interpretations.

PEDAGOGY

Pedagogical approach: Collaborative problem-solving; Conceptually-oriented activities; Context-rich problems; Mathematically-focused activities

Skills / Competencies: Multiple representations; Intuition building

What insights or realizations do you hope students gain from this resource? Graphs are particularly valuable in helping students make sense of waves where they are now introduced to functions of 2 independent variables. Equations are now significantly more complex conceptually. Seeing that graphs help them make disentangle what's happening in waves can help them to see that graphs can be are a valuable tool in analyzing and making sense of physical situations, and they are an important component both of building physical intuition and of complex problem solving.

Why is this resource useful to life sciences students? Life science students often have difficulty in seeing physical meaning in mathematical representations — graphs and symbols. Seeing how physical meaning is represented in graphs can help them learn to see the value of mathematical representations in reasoning about the physical world.

DISCUSSION

SUBMISSION DETAILS

License: CC BY-NC-SA - Attribution, No Commercial uses and Share Alike. Derivative works must have the same license.

Last Edit Date: January 21, 2025