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“Student Thinking about Measurements and Uncertainty in Physics.”

“Student Thinking about Measurements and Uncertainty in Physics.”

Monday, May 17, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Zoom
Gina Passante - Cal State Fullerton
Measurement and uncertainty are central concepts taught in undergraduate physics laboratories. These concepts are often first introduced in an introductory lab and are then used throughout the physics degree (and hopefully beyond). However, the complexity of experiments performed in undergraduate labs increases greatly as students move to advanced laboratory courses. Additionally, somewhere along the way, students are introduced to quantum mechanics where the concepts of measurement and uncertainty take on additional meanings. In this talk we will investigate how student thinking about measurement and uncertainty depends on the context of the experiment. We will specifically focus on any differences between how students think about classical and quantum experiments in terms of the uncertainty and errors that may arise.
Liz Gire