Difficulties in Learning the Concept of Internal Energy

Abstract

This study analyzes students' main difficulties in learning the concept of internal energy and related concepts. To carry out this analysis we have supposed that the historical study of the main qualitative leaps that have taken place in the construction of the theory of internal energy may help to diagnose such difficulties. Thus, we have made a brief description of the main conceptual profiles with in which internal energy can be interpreted by Ethiopian and examined to what extent they are used by students in two public universities. To achieve this we have devised and applied an open-ended questionnaire and interviews. The results obtained showed that most students, in the two universities, have ontological and epistemological difficulties using the idea of internal energy thus preferring the use of reasoning based on the chemical thermodynamics concepts in chemistry.