Meanings of the equals sign in upper-level undergraduate problem solving

Abstract

The conceptual meaning behind the equals sign depends on its use and can show the cultural significance of different practices in solving physics problems. We use Sherin's symbolic forms to investigate the conceptual and cultural meanings of the equals sign across physics contexts. In this study we build and validate a rubric to classify physics students' use of the equals sign in written homework as assignment, causality, definitional, balancing, calculate, or hybrid. We then analyze students' solutions in their written homework in an upper-division electrostatics course and compare them to textbook solutions.