Understanding probabilistic interpretations of physical systems: A prerequisite to learning quantum physics

American Journal of Physics

Volumn 70, Issue 3, 2002, Pages 210-217

  Bao, Lei ^a   Redish, Edward F ^b  

^a OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b Bldg 142   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 23044529916     PISSN: 00029505     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1119/1.1447541     Document Type: Article

References (22)

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2. G. Keren, "Calibration and probability judgments; Conceptual and methodological issues," Acta Psychol. 77, 217-273 (1991);
3. L. A. Brenner, D. J. Koehler, V. Liberman, and A. Tversky, "Overconfidence in probability and frequency judgments: A critical examination," Organ. Behav. Human Dec. Process 65, 212-219 (1996).
4. M. Barnes, "Dealing with misconceptions about probability," Australian Mathematics Teacher 54, 17-20 (1998);
5. G. R. Fast, Using analogies to produce long term conceptual change: Overcoming high school mathematics students probability misconceptions, Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, March 24-28, 1997;
6. P. Vahey, Toward an understanding of productive student conceptions of probability: The probability inquiry environment, Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, March 24-28, 1997;
7. C. Konold, "Inconsistencies in students reasoning about probability," J. Res. Math. Educ. 24, 392-414 (1993).
8. The gambler's fallacy states that future results will compensate for previous (short term) results in order to bring things back to the average.
9. J.Clement, "Using bridging analogies and anchoring intuitions to deal with students preconceptions in physics," J. Res. Sci. Teach. 30, 1241-1257 (1993).
10. L. Bao, Dynamics of student modeling: A theory, algorithms, and application to quantum mechanics, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Maryland, December 1999. Available on request from http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/lbao
11. Materials for this course are available from the Physics Education Research Group at the University of Maryland, http://www.physics.umd.edu/ qm/qmcourse/welcome.htm
12. L. C. McDermott and P.S. Shaffer, Tutorials in Introductory Physics (Prentice Hall, New York, 1998).
13. This question was also used in a preinstructional survey where similar results (with less student explanations) were obtained. This makes us believe that the students inappropriate understanding was likely developed before instruction.
14. The use of the vertical dimension as a measure of position rather than potential energy is associated with another student difficulty in understanding potential energy diagram. See Ref. 2 for more details.
15. Modern experiments can actually trap and probe single quantum objects repeatedly, but this is not the norm.
16. J. P. Doering, J. H. Moore, and M. A. Coplan, "(e,2e) spectroscopy," Rev. Mod. Phys. 66, 985-993 (1994).
17. L. Bao, E. F. Redish, and R. S. Steinberg, "Student misunderstandings of the quantum wavefunction," AAPT Announcer 28, 92 (1998).
18. The current version of the software is available from the first author at http:/Avww.physics.ohio-state.edu/~lbao
19. In practice, the demonstrator simply drops a new ball onto the track as soon as one falls off.
20. L. Bao and E. F. Redish (unpublished).
21. R. K. Thornton, Conceptual dynamics: Changing student views of force and motion, Proceedings of the International Conference on Thinking Science for Teaching: the Case of Physics, Rome, 1994.
22. D. P. Maloney and R. S. Siegler, "Conceptual competition in physics learning," Int. J. Sci. Educ. 15, 283-295 (1993).