Describing the motion in a vertical roller coaster loop requires a good understanding of Newton's laws, vectors and energy transformation. This paper describes how first-year students try to make sense of force and acceleration in this example of non-uniform circular motion, which was part of a written exam. In addition to an analysis of the exam solutions by about 60 students, a group interview was performed a couple of weeks later with four students, who had all passed the exam. The interview allowed the students to reflect on assumptions made and information missed.
CITATION STYLE
Pendrill, A. M., Eriksson, M., Eriksson, U., Svensson, K., & Ouattara, L. (2019). Students making sense of motion in a vertical roller coaster loop. Physics Education, 54(6). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ab3f18
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.