Paul J. Emigh, Gi1na Passante, and Peter S. Shaffer

 

 

 The Physics Education Group at the University of Washington is examining student understanding of blackbody radiation. Results from interviews and questions administered in sophomore and upper-division coursesindicate that traditional instruction on blackbody radiation often does not help students apply the concepts andmathematical formalism to real-world objects. We are developing an online homework that approaches blackbodyradiation from a phenomenological viewpoint, rather than from an idealized formalism. Initial use suggests that thishomework helps students understand, for example, how the spectrum of an incandescent light bulb changes withtemperature. Moreover, students who have worked through the homework also seem able to provide more robustanswers during interviews than students who have not. However, we find that students continue to struggle with theconcept of blackbody radiation. Additional research is needed to be able to design more effective instructional materials.

 

 physics education research, student understanding, quantum mechanics, modern physics, online homework, blackbody radiation