Students’ determination of differential area elements in upper-division physics
Published: 2018
Publication Name: 2017 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings
Publication URL: https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2017.pr.084
Abstract:
Given the significance of understanding differential area vectors in multivariable coordinate systems to the learning of electricity and magnetism (E&M), students in junior-level E&M were interviewed about E&M tasks involving integration over areas. In one task, students set up an integral for the magnetic flux through a square loop. A second task asked students to set up an integral to solve for the electric field from a circular sheet of charge. Analysis identified several treatments of the differential area: (1) a product of differential lengths, (2) a sum of differential lengths, (3) a product of a constant length with differential length in one direction, (4) a derivative of the expression for a given area, and (5) the full area.
Schermerhorn, B. P., & Thompson, J. R. (2018). Students’ determination of differential area elements in upper-division physics. In L. Ding, A. Traxler & Y. Cao (Eds.), 2017 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings (pp. 356–359). Cincinnati, Ohio: American Association of Physics Teachers. https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2017.pr.084