PROCEEDINGS OF THE 20TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2017
San Diego, California
Upper-division physics student thinking regarding non-Cartesian coordinate systems
Page: 1557
As part of a larger effort to develop a research-based math methods curriculum forundergraduate physics students, results from a case study probing student thinking on planeand spherical polar coordinates are presented. Using a resources framework, a think-aloudprotocol was used to elicit student thinking regarding non-Cartesian coordinates. Findings areconsistent with previously published literature regarding student thinking on coordinatesystems. Mark, a senior physics major, despite initially clearly identifying and defining theradial and polar unit vectors on a diagnostic 2-dimensional problem, made inconsistentassertions when asked to apply those definitions in three dimensions using sphericalcoordinates. Additionally, we will address content issues concerning the definition ofdisplacement and position vectors in Cartesian and Non-Cartesian coordinate systems.Key words: