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Learning difficulties among students when applying Ampére-Maxwell’s law and its implications for teaching

Álvaro Suárez

Arturo C. Marti

Kristina Zuza

Jenaro Guisasola

  • Departamento de Física, Consejo de Formación en Educación, Montevideo, Uruguay

  • Instituto de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo, 11200, Uruguay

  • Department of Applied Physics and Donostia Physics Education Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian 20018, Spain

  • Donostia Physics Education Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian 20018, Spain and School of Dual Engineering, Institute of Machine Tools (IMH), Elgoibar, Spain

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Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 20, 010143 – Published 16 May, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.20.010143

Abstract

We investigate learning difficulties among second-year students in electromagnetism courses when they apply Ampère-Maxwell’s law. Using phenomenography, we analyzed written answers from 65 undergraduate physics students to four questions on Ampère’s and Ampère-Maxwell’s laws. We complemented our research by interviewing 12 students. To design the questionnaire, we ran an epistemological analysis of classical electromagnetism which helped us to identify a set of key essential concepts to understand this theory, guided the definition of learning objectives, and drew up the questions. The results revealed that the students found it hard to recognize the validity framework from Ampère’s law and to apply Ampère-Maxwell’s law. They face particular difficulties to recognize the appearance of the displacement current and the relationship between the circulation of the magnetic field and an electric field that is variable over time.

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Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 20, 010143– Published 16 May, 2024
  • Received 1 February 2024
  • Accepted 8 April 2024
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