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Re: [Phys-l] ADVICE ON LAB EQUIPMENT



Well, the interesting part of the AJP article was that students who had not
interacted with equipment could wire a circuit faster. Would that qualify
as lab technique? Certainly they could not debug a non working lab.

Here are some references:
When learning about the real world is better done virtually: a study of
substituting computer simulations for laboratory equipment, N.D.
Finkelstein, W. K. Adams, C. J. Keller, P. B. Kohl, K. K Perkins, N. S.
Podolefsky, S. Reid, R. LeMaster, Physical Review - PER, Vol 1, No 1, 2005.

Assessing the effectiveness of a computer simulation in conjunction with
Tutorials in Introductory Physics in undergraduate physics recitations, C.
J. Keller, N.D. Finkelstein, K. K. Perkins, and S. J. Pollock, PERC
Proceedings 2005.

Can Computer Simulations Replace Real Equipment in Undergraduate
Laboratories?, N. D. Finkelstein, K. K. Perkins, W. Adams, P. Kohl, and N.
Podolefsky. Submitted to PERC Proceedings, 2004.

Incorporating Simulations in the Classroom - A survey of Research Results
from the Physics Education Technology Project, K. K. Perkins, W. K. Adams,
N. D. Finkelstein, M. Dubson, S. Reid, R. LeMaster and C. E. Wieman.
Presented at AAPT Summer Meeting, 2004.

More information is at: http://phet.colorado.edu/web-pages/research.html

I would agree that working with equipment can be important, but fundamentals
of measurement can actually be taught using simulations and pencil and paper
measurements. My prediction is that lower level students may do better with
simulations because the rich context of real experiments produces cognitive
overload. But when the experiment involves a significant kinesthetic effect
such as the human motion labs, a real lab may work better. The problem is
that students need to have a rich context, but not too rich. Part of
learning is filtering out irrelevant information, but actual equipment often
produces way too much irrelevant information for many students.

I would say that air tracks can produce an undesirable effect. Students may
tend to think that the air is pushing the sliders which can reinforce
non-Newtonian thinking. But quiet passive carts may not have this effect.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


Maybe simulation teaches F=ma but can never, well hardly ever?, teach
lab techniques, etc.

bc, who thinks at the rate we're going the US will only have
theoreticians.