SAIP2026

Over - Reliance on Simplified Physics Model: Students Explanation in Optics

Not scheduled

20m

University of the Western Cape

Oral Presentation Track E - Physics for Development, Education and Outreach

Speaker

Ishiyaku Abubakar

Description

What we perceive visually is not always easily reduced to a simple explanatory model. What we “see” depends not only on models of light but also on other aspects of visual cognition. In regard to models of light a number of different models have been developed to describe the complex phenomenon of light. The models are: straight line rays (geometrical optics), waves (electromagnetic spectrum), and particles (photons). Each of these models describes aspects of light under different contextual conditions. Optical phenomena are often not adequately explained by a “bottom-up” approach. For example, the explanation as to why the moon is perceived as larger on the horizon and smaller when directly above requires a “top-down” explanatory component which draws on the cognitive aspects of “seeing”. The overall study is intended to map out how students explain optical phenomena. In the context of geometrical optics 148 first year students were asked to explain to a friend why the moon is bigger on the horizon than directly overhead. The study categorizes students’ responses and shows that most them have a good understanding of optics only a small number suggest the possibility that the brain might be playing a role