What it means to “understand” a physics equation
Bruce L. Sherin · AIP conference proceedings · 1997
What does it mean to understand a physics equation? In this paper, I will argue that, for students and experts, understanding a physics equations means being able to see the equation in terms of elements of a set of “symbolic forms.” Stated simply, symbolic forms are a vocabulary of ideas from which students can construct novel expressions and in terms of which they can see existing expressions. Examples will be presented from the work of university physics students to illustrate the nature and use of symbolic forms.