Living Physics Portal: Reading the physics in a graph 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 9 homework problems drawn from across the curriculum. Problems are presented in two forms: as PDFs with solutions and access restricted to instructors, and as links to the ComPADRE version that can be assigned to students. The problems are also available in a (mostly) autograded commercial version (ExpertTA).

Resource Types: Homework, Restricted access, Instructor supplement

Authors:

Edward Redish (he/him)

University of Maryland, College Park

NEXUS Physics

Living Physics Portal Team

TOPICS

Physics Topics:

Classical Mechanics > Applications of Newton's Laws, Motion in One Dimension, Newton's Second Law

Life Sciences Topics:

Biomechanics > Animal Biomechanics

Chemistry Topics:

None

Math Topics:

Differential Calculus; Graphical Analysis

FILES Download0

Reading the physics in a graph problems - Newton's laws

A diving gannet - in the water.pdf

A remote controlled car.pdf

Drawing consistent graphs.pdf

Hitting a bowling ball.pdf

Force on a woodpecker.pdf

Nathan's train.pdf

Pushing a box - the details.pdf

Pushing a carriage.pdf

A diving gannet - in the water.url

A remote controlled car.url

Drawing consistent graphs.url

Force on a woodpecker.url

Hitting a bowling ball.url

Nathan's train.url

Pushing a box - the details.url

Pushing a carriage.url

A diving gannet - in the water.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.

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? that graphs are more than just a task assigned by an instructor — they 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