Identifying and addressing student difficulties with hydrostatic pressure

Abstract

We describe an investigation of student learning of the concept of pressure in a static liquid. We document patterns of student answers and explanations in response to written and interview questions. We find that many undergraduate students fail to develop a correct understanding of pressure in this context. Many students have difficulty identifying the forces that act on a liquid and relating these forces to pressure. We describe the development and assessment of research-based instructional materials designed to address student difficulties with pressure and provide evidence that these materials can improve student understanding.

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