Chemical energy in an introductory physics course for the life sciences
arXiv:1308.3667 · doi:10.1119/1.4870391
Abstract
Energy is a complex idea that cuts across scientific disciplines. For life science students, an approach to energy that incorporates chemical bonds and chemical reactions is better equipped to meet the needs of life sciences students than a traditional introductory physics approach that focuses primarily on mechanical energy. We present a curricular sequence, or thread, designed to build up students' understanding of chemical energy in an introductory physics course for the life sciences. This thread is designed to connect ideas about energy from physics, biology, and chemistry. We describe the kinds of connections among energetic concepts that we intended to develop to build interdisciplinary coherence, and present some examples of curriculum materials and student data that illustrate our approach.
11 pages
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Cited by in corpus (5)
- Chemical energy in an introductory physics course for the life sciences
- A Vision of Interdisciplinary Education: Students' Reasoning about "High-Energy Bonds" and ATP
- Ontological metaphors for negative energy in an interdisciplinary context
- Cross-disciplinary learning: A framework for assessing application of concepts across STEM disciplines
- Leveraging a Relationship with Biology to Expand a Relationship with Physics