Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement
written by
N. G. Holmes and Carl E. Wieman
Many introductory physics labs include goals related to learning about measurement uncertainty or error propagation. In this article, we present evidence from a new survey about experimentation and modeling in physics labs indicating that student difficulties with these concepts may stem in part from the language used. We demonstrate that students conflate measurement uncertainty, systematic effects, and measurement mistakes under a single umbrella. After a course that explicitly distinguished these three terms, students' paid more attention to precision and sources of random variability, rather than systematics or experimenter mistakes. We use this preliminary analysis to evaluate the survey as an instrument to assess learning in physics labs.
2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College
Part of the BFY Conference series
College Park, MD: July 22-24, 2015
Pages 44-47
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<a href="https://advlabs.aapt.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=13803">Holmes, Natasha G., and Carl Wieman. "Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement." Paper presented at the 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD, July 22-24, 2015.</a>
N. Holmes and C. Wieman, , presented at the 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD, 2015, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13803&DocID=4223).
N. Holmes and C. Wieman, Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement, presented at the 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD, 2015, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13803&DocID=4223>.
Holmes, N., & Wieman, C. (2015, July 22-24). Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement. Paper presented at 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD. Retrieved December 13, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13803&DocID=4223
Holmes, Natasha G., and Carl Wieman. "Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement." Paper presented at the 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College, College Park, MD, July 22-24, 2015. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13803&DocID=4223 (accessed 13 December 2024).
Holmes, Natasha G., and Carl Wieman. "Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement." 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College. College Park, MD: 2015. 44-47 of BFY Conference. 13 Dec. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13803&DocID=4223>.
@inproceedings{
Author = "Natasha G. Holmes and Carl Wieman",
Title = {Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement},
BookTitle = {2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College},
Pages = {44-47},
Address = {College Park, MD},
Series = {BFY Conference},
Month = {July 22-24},
Year = {2015}
}
%A Natasha G. Holmes %A Carl Wieman %T Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement %S BFY Conference %D July 22-24 2015 %P 44-47 %C College Park, MD %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13803&DocID=4223 %O 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College %O July 22-24 %O application/pdf
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Holmes, Natasha G. %A Wieman, Carl %D July 22-24 2015 %T Assessing modeling in the lab: Uncertainty and measurement %B 2015 Conference on Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College %C College Park, MD %P 44-47 %S BFY Conference %8 July 22-24 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13803&DocID=4223
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