http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/ 2020-01-26T22:59:59-08:00 http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/ http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/lib/images/favicon.ico text/html 2012-07-08T14:37:54-08:00 http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/whitepapers:phihat:basis?rev=1341783474 Basis Vectors and Vector Components by Len Cerny Students have a variety of incompletely formed ideas about basis vectors and components of vectors. Some of this problem stems from vague or varying usage among professional physicists. While professionals almost always know what other professionals mean, students, who have yet to form complete ideas may remain confused. text/html 2012-08-09T10:30:01-08:00 http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/whitepapers:phihat:start?rev=1344533401 What's Right with $\phat =\phi/|\phi|$ : Student Understanding of Vectors and Scalars by Len Cerny Overview When an instructor saw a student with the equation $\phat=\phi/|\phi|$ written on his whiteboard, the instructor commented that they didn't even know where to begin to help the student. Other examples of the procedural and conceptual mathematical errors students make when it comes to vectors include: vector addition, dot products, cross products, and matrix opperations. We have also s…