Identifying student difficulties in special relativity: The notions of "reference system" and "event".
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Abstract
In this paper, we propose an analysis of the difficulties that may impede the understanding of relativistic kinematics teaching. From the answers of master students (involved in secondary school teaching careers) to a paper and pencil questionnaire, we characterize, by inference, some of the reasonings that show an inappropriate use of the concepts of "reference system" and "event" even in the framework of classical kinematics. To respond to these difficulties, we propose a graphical tool (space-time) to "make visible" the consequences of the invariance of the speed of light and to put into operation the definitions of "reference system" and "event".
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References
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