RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
Exploring Mathematical Intuition and its Role in Physics Problem-Solving
Page: 1472
Physics education researchers have begun to uncover the different ways that mathematicians and physicists interact with symbols and do math in physics contexts. Recent work has identified an important expert behavior in physics problem-solving in which expert physicists, much like jazz musicians, riff with mathematical objects to work toward an answer, realize when a particular approach will be fruitful or not, and adjust accordingly. In this qualitative study, we characterize some resources that appear to support mathematical riffing in physics as part of an ongoing effort to better understand the role of mathematical intuition in physics. Our study consisted of think-aloud interviews with physics graduate students in which they were asked to solve an unfamiliar graduate-level physics problem, using familiar mathematics. In this poster, we identify a feature of physics mathematical riffing, which we call “mathematical impetus” that was consistent across graduate students and describe how it bolsters mathematical intuition.