The Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA) is a multiple-choice instrument commonly used to measure introductory undergraduate students' conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism. This study used a network analysis technique called modified module analysis-partial (MMA-P) to identify clusters of correlated responses, also…

Electricity and magnetism are fundamentally interconnected, as represented by the symmetry in Maxwell's equations. Much of the research on Gauss's and Ampere's laws has focused on their application in calculating electric or magnetic fields. However, there remains a significant gap in the literature in exploring these laws in a broader…

This work discusses a didactic path aimed at revisiting the first experiments on the transmission and detection of electromagnetic waves, performed by Guglielmo Marconi at the end of the 19th century. With very simple materials it is possible to set-up apparatus that allow to illustrate practically the simple physical picture of wireless…

The question of the sources of electric and magnetic fields and their causes has been discussed extensively in the literature over the last decades. In this article, we approach this problem from the unified treatment of electromagnetic fields emphasizing the role of their sources in accordance with the cause-effect relationships. First, we…

It is difficult for an instructor to just make up valid numbers for B[subscript x], B[subscript y], B[subscript z], E[subscript x], E[subscript y], and E[subscript z] in the creation of homework problems and test questions calculating the Poynting vector. In this paper, 25 examples are given of the electric and magnetic fields of electromagnetic…

The mathematical form of the magnetic field due to a current loop, and the fact that it is identical to the electric field due to an electric dipole in the far field, are fundamental to our understanding of electromagnetism. While undergraduate level electromagnetism textbooks usually derive the electric field from an electric dipole, few derive…

The measurement of the charge-to-mass ratio, e/m, of the electron is a fundamental part of any study of electricity and magnetism. It is possible to use an apparatus designed to measure e/m for other things, including investigations of electron flow through a near vacuum, measuring a work function, and even exploring some quantum mechanics…

Although the phrase "seat of EMF" in describing chemical cells has fallen into disuse, by distinguishing the distinct but incorrect conceptions both of Galvani and of Volta, in favor of the correct view of Faraday, "seat of EMF" it becomes possible (among other things) to understand: (1) why internal resistance really is…

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…

Developing students' understanding of and about science is an important educational goal. Learning the nature of science (NOS) has been recognized as a critical component of science literacy, affecting how students (our future citizens) make informed decisions. Textbooks can be useful teaching materials if the content presented aligns with…

Electrostatic force is the preliminary and fundamental topic that forms the bedrock on which the conceptual framework of "electromagnetism" is built. Being a 'vector' quantity, electromagnetic force naturally inherits direction as well as magnitude. The conceptualization of such physical quantities may pose a challenge. The present work…

Contribution: A remote laboratory system for induction motors was developed in this study. By creating an original simulated induction motor, the structure of the motor can be observed, and the current and magnetic flux can be measured safely. Background: Electrical machinery has little appeal to young engineers. Such machinery deals with…

This work provides a missing manual needed to understand permanent magnets (also known as "hard" magnets), the only source of "magnetic induction field B" (units of teslas), often called the magnetic field, that students are familiar with when they confront magnetic force acting on moving charges. Students see this magnetic…

The question of whether Faraday's flux law is universal or whether there are exceptions has long been controversial. This discussion seemed to have recently concluded in favor of the generality of Faraday's Flux Law. The present article raises this question again with the aid of some rather simple measurements carried out on a Faraday generator.…

Vector fields are a highly abstract physical concept that is often taught using visualizations. Although vector representations are particularly suitable for visualizing quantitative data, they are often confusing, especially when describing real fields such as magnetic and electric fields, as the vector arrows can overlap. The present study…