We have investigated students' qualitative understanding of dc circuits containing resistors and a capacitor. We found that a year after traditional lecture instruction as part of an introductory physics course, most students were unable to predict the behavior of a series circuit consisting of a battery, a bulb, and a capacitor. Among the difficulties identified we found that almost half of the students implicitly abandoned the idea that a complete circuit is necessary for a bulb to light when a capacitor is introduced into the circuit. We have developed curriculum that enables students to construct a phenomenological model in which they liken the behavior of a capacitor to that of a wire, a switch, and a battery; this allows them to qualitatively describe circuits with batteries, bulbs, and capacitors. We have also developed curriculum on the determination of RC times. Post-test results show a significant increase in understanding of capacitive circuits.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
May 01 2013
A qualitative approach to teaching capacitive circuits
David P. Smith;
David P. Smith
a)
Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching and Learning & School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University
, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
Search for other works by this author on:
Paul van Kampen
Paul van Kampen
b)
Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching and Learning & School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University
, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Present address: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
b)
Electronic mail: Paul.van.Kampen@dcu.ie
Am. J. Phys. 81, 389–396 (2013)
Article history
Received:
May 27 2012
Accepted:
March 04 2013
Citation
David P. Smith, Paul van Kampen; A qualitative approach to teaching capacitive circuits. Am. J. Phys. 1 May 2013; 81 (5): 389–396. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4795589
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Citing articles via
Related Content
The Electron Runaround: Understanding Electric Circuit Basics Through a Classroom Activity
The Physics Teacher (May 2010)
A Fan-tastic Alternative to Bulbs: Learning Circuits with Fans
Phys. Teach. (January 2017)
Motors and Bulbs in Series
The Physics Teacher (September 2009)
A FAN-C Exploration of RC Circuits
Phys. Teach. (November 2020)
A Fan-tastic Quantitative Exploration of Ohm’s Law
Phys. Teach. (February 2018)