1666 TEKS header image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Science concepts. The student knows the impact of energy transfer and energy conservation in everyday life.

a phenomenon that occurs when a wave is bounced off the boundary of a new medium and not absorbed

a phenomenon that occurs when a wave changes direction due to the change in speed when it enters a new medium at an angle; the wave still moves in a straight line, but the angle changes

phenomenon that occurs when two waves meet while traveling along the same medium which may result in an increase or decrease in amplitude or in the two waves cancelling each other out at that point they meet

Research

Enderle, Patrick, Natalie King, and Lauren Margulieux. "What's in a Wave? Using Modeling and Computational Thinking to Enhance Students' Understanding of Waves." The Science Teacher 88, no. 4 (2021):24-28. https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10221223

Summary:  Teaching about wave structure and function is a critical element of any physical science curriculum. To expand upon available resources, the authors developed a series of instructional activities that deepen students' conceptual understanding of waves by engaging in computational thinking while developing and using scientific and mathematical models. These activities also provide an example of how teachers can incorporate the scientific practice of computational thinking through combining it with the practice of developing and using scientific models.

Research

Mešić, Vanes, Erna Hajder, Knut Neumann, and Nataša Erceg "Comparing Different Approaches to Visualizing Light Waves: An Experimental Study on Teaching Wave Optics." Physical Review Physics Education Research 12, no.1 (2016): 010135. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.12.010135

Summary:  Research has shown that students have tremendous difficulties developing a qualitative understanding of wave optics, at all educational levels. In this study, we investigate how three different approaches to visualizing light waves affect students’ understanding of wave optics.