School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2020
Abstract
Research on student understanding of eigentheory in linear algebra has expanded recently, yet few studies address student understanding of the Characteristic Equation. In this study, we explore quantum physics students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of deriving and using the Characteristic Equation. We developed the Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge framework for classifying the quality of students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of both deriving and using the Characteristic Equation along a continuum. Most students exhibited deeper conceptual and procedural knowledge of using the Characteristic Equation than of deriving the Characteristic Equation. Furthermore, most students demonstrated deeper procedural knowledge than conceptual knowledge of deriving the Characteristic Equation. Most students demonstrated conceptual knowledge that was as deep or deeper than their procedural knowledge of using the Characteristic Equation. Examples of student work are provided, including descriptions of student work exhibiting rich knowledge of the characteristic equation. Implications for instruction and future research are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Serbin, Kaitlyn Stephens, et al. "Characterizing quantum physics students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge of the characteristic equation." The Journal of Mathematical Behavior 58 (2020): 100777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2020.100777
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Journal of Mathematical Behavior
DOI
10.1016/j.jmathb.2020.100777
Comments
Original published version available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2020.100777