36 citations · 56 across the 2 of their papers we have counts for
3 papers
Student understanding of the Boltzmann factor
Trevor I. Smith, Donald B. Mountcastle, John R. Thompson
We present results of our investigation into student understanding of the physical significance and utility of the Boltzmann factor in several simple models. We identify various ju…
Identifying Student Difficulties with Entropy, Heat Engines, and the Carnot Cycle
Trevor I. Smith, Warren M. Christensen, Donald B. Mountcastle +1
We report on several specific student difficulties regarding the Second Law of Thermodynamics in the context of heat engines within upper-division undergraduates thermal physics co…
Student Understanding of Taylor Series Expansions in Statistical Mechanics
Trevor I. Smith, John R. Thompson, Donald B. Mountcastle
One goal of physics instruction is to have students learn to make physical meaning of specific mathematical ideas, concepts, and procedures in different physical settings. As part…