PROCEEDINGS OF THE 19TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2016
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Physics students’ construction and use of differential elements in multivariable coordinate systems
Page: 1271
As part of an effort to examine students’ understanding of non-Cartesian coordinate systems when using vector calculus in the physics topics of electricity and magnetism, we interviewed four pairs of students. In one task, developed to force them to be explicit about the components of specific coordinate systems, students construct differential length and volume elements for an unconventional spherical coordinate system. While all pairs eventually arrived at the correct elements, some unsuccessfully attempted to reason through spherical or Cartesian coordinates, but recognized the error when checking their work. This suggests students’ difficulty with differential elements comes from an incomplete understanding of the systems.