We report on students’ thinking regarding entropy in an introductory calculus-based physics course. We analyzed students’ responses to a variety of questions on entropy changes of an arbitrarily defined system and its surroundings. In four offerings of the same course we found that before instruction, no more than 6% of all students could give completely correct responses to relevant questions posed in both general and concrete contexts. Nearly two-thirds of the students showed clear evidence of conservation-type reasoning regarding entropy. These outcomes were little changed even after instruction. Targeted instruction that guided students to recognize that entropy is not a conserved quantity appears to yield improved performance on qualitative questions related to this concept.
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October 2009
PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH|
October 01 2009
Student ideas regarding entropy and the second law of thermodynamics in an introductory physics course
Warren M. Christensen;
Warren M. Christensen
a)
Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research,
University of Maine
, Orono, Maine 04401
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David E. Meltzer;
David E. Meltzer
b)
College of Teacher Education and Leadership,
Arizona State University
, Polytechnic Campus, Mesa, Arizona 85212
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C. A. Ogilvie
C. A. Ogilvie
c)
Department of Physics and Astronomy,
Iowa State University
, Ames, Iowa 50011
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a)
Present address: Physics Department, North Dakota State University, Department 2755, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108. Electronic mail: warren.christensen@umit.maine.edu
b)
Electronic mail: david.meltzer@asu.edu
c)
Electronic mail: cogilvie@iastate.edu
Am. J. Phys. 77, 907–917 (2009)
Article history
Received:
March 15 2008
Accepted:
June 10 2009
Citation
Warren M. Christensen, David E. Meltzer, C. A. Ogilvie; Student ideas regarding entropy and the second law of thermodynamics in an introductory physics course. Am. J. Phys. 1 October 2009; 77 (10): 907–917. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3167357
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