Speaker
Yossi Ben Zion
(Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel)
Description
This study identifies a global challenge in mathematics and physics education: a widespread "blind spot" of trigonometric derivatives and their implications for physical systems. Data were collected from 700 university science students across four countries: Israel, USA, China, and India. Findings show that 70%-80% of participants were unaware that these derivatives differ when measured in degrees versus radians, highlighting a systematic gap. In the context of harmonic oscillation, incorrect responses dropped to 35-45%, yet many still struggled to explain why radians are necessary. The consistent results across countries emphasize the need for targeted pedagogical strategies to address this issue.
| Education level | Age over 18 (excluding teacher education) |
|---|---|
| Physics topic | Other |
| Research focus | Student conceptions / Preconceptions / Misconceptions |
| Research method | Analytic Physics Education Research (Quantitative research) |
| Organizing preference criteria | Research focus |
Author
Yossi Ben Zion
(Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel)
Co-author
Prof.
Noah D. FINKELSTEIN
(Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA)
