Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Commentary
  • Published:

Two steps forward, one step back

Nature Physics volume 10, pages 402–403 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Among physics students there exists a wide variety of misconceptions, generally thought to be robust and resistant to change. But our analysis of the path of progress has changed our conception of how students learn physics.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The rich get richer.

References

  1. Hestenes, D., Wells, M. & Swackhamer, G. Phys. Teach. 30, 141–158 (1992).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Mazur, E. Science 323, 50–51 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Lasry, N., Rosenfield, S., Dedic, H., Dahan, A. & Reshef, O. Am. J. Phys. 79, 909–912 (2011).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hake, R. R. Am. J. Phys. 66, 64–74 (1998).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wang, J. & Bao, L. Am. J. Phys. 78, 1064–1070 (2010).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hutchison, P. & Elby, A. AIP Conf. Proc. 1513, 194–197 (2013).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hammer, D., Elby, A., Scherr, R. E. & Redish, E. F. in Transfer of learning from a modern multidisciplinary perspective (ed. Mestre, J.) 89–120 (Information Age Publishing, 2005).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Barabási, A.-L. & Bonabeau, E. Sci. Am. 288, 50–59 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank their collaborators in this work: M. Dugdale, S. Bhatnagar, C. Whittaker, E. Charles, K. Lenton, K. Ragan, G. Morris, T. Mzoughi and K. Miller; and D. Hestenes for providing the high-school FCI data.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nathaniel Lasry and Eric Mazur are in the Department of Physics and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA,

    Nathaniel Lasry & Eric Mazur

  2. Lasry and Jonathan Guillemette are in the Physics Department, John Abbott College, Montreal, Quebec H9X 3L9, Canada,

    Nathaniel Lasry & Jonathan Guillemette

Authors
  1. Nathaniel Lasry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jonathan Guillemette
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Eric Mazur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric Mazur.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lasry, N., Guillemette, J. & Mazur, E. Two steps forward, one step back. Nature Phys 10, 402–403 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2988

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys2988

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing