In a recent submission to "The Physics Teacher," we related how trigonometric identities can be used to find the extremes of several functions in order to solve some standard physics problems that would usually be considered to require calculus. In this work, the functions to be examined are polynomials, which suggests the utilization of…

When teaching a general education introductory astronomy course that includes a mathematics prerequisite, it is important to convey that formulas and equations physically represent properties of actual objects and processes that occur that can actually be observed. Students with varying comfort levels with mathematics often need to be convinced…

Multiple representations are widely recognized for their significant role in concept learning. This study aimed to investigate the multiple representation translation skills of high school students at different grade levels about the concept of one-dimensional motion. 239 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade students participated in the study using a…

An onto-semiotic analysis of the mathematical connections established by one in-service mathematics teachers and university students when solving a problem about launching a projectile using the derivative was carried out. Theoretically, this research was based on the articulation between the Extended Theory of Mathematical Connections and the…

The use and understanding of mathematics is a crucial component of the physical sciences. Much work has been done in physics education research and science education more broadly to determine persistent difficulties with mathematics. This work has led to the development of numerous problem solving strategies aimed at helping learners approach…

The usage of symbol, unit and formula of some fundamental physical quantities are quite important for science and engineering students regardless of their majors. The purpose of the present research was to examine the students' knowledge regarding the usage of symbol, unit, and formula of the fundamental physical quantities. The opinions of…

Analysing graphs, formulating covariational relationships, and hypothesizing systems' behaviour have emerged as frequent objectives of contemporary research in physics education. As such, these studies aim to help students achieve these objectives. While a consensus has been reached on the cognitive benefits of emphasizing the structural domain of…

Research identifies two domains by which mathematics allows learning physics concepts: a technical domain that includes algorithmic operations that lead to solving formulas for an unknown quantity and a structural domain that allows for applying mathematical knowledge for structuring physical phenomena. While the technical domain requires…

Physics and Mathematics are two deeply interlinked domains of Science. Mathematics is considered as the language in which the Physics theories are built by employing mathematical symbols and operations to make equations and representations in the world of Physics completely meaningful. In spite of being the backbone of Physics, the use of…

Students' difficulties in quantum mechanics may be the result of unproductive framing and not a fundamental inability to solve the problems or misconceptions about physics content. We observed groups of students solving quantum mechanics problems in an upper-division physics course. Using the lens of epistemological framing, we investigated four…

Prior research suggests that introductory physics students have difficulty with graphing and interpreting graphs. Here, we discuss an investigation of student difficulties in translating between mathematical and graphical representations for a problem in electrostatics and the effect of increasing levels of scaffolding on students'…

This article revisits the cognitive load theory to explore the use of worked examples to teach a selected topic in a higher level undergraduate physics course for distance learners at the School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia. With a break of several years from receiving formal education and having only minimum science…

This study investigates university students' graph interpretation strategies and difficulties in mathematics, physics (kinematics), and contexts other than physics. Eight sets of parallel (isomorphic) mathematics, physics, and other context questions about graphs, which were developed by us, were administered to 385 first-year students at the…

What if you could challenge your 11th graders to figure out the best response to a partial meltdown at a nuclear reactor in fictional Gammatown, USA? With this volume in the "STEM Road Map Curriculum Series," you can! "Radioactivity" outlines a journey that will steer your students toward authentic problem solving while…

This article presents a case study that examines the level of integration of mathematical knowledge in physics problem solving among first grade students of upper secondary school. We explore the ways in which two specific students utilize their knowledge and we attempt to identify the epistemological framings they refer to while solving a physics…