Abstract
In this paper, we report the results of a study of eight participants, all physics majors with some exposure to space physics, who were provided with 2-D and 3-D depictions of the substorm current wedge. Student understanding of the substorm current wedge was probed by asking them to determine the magnetic perturbations produced by the current wedge system. None of the students were able to determine the complete correct set of north–south and east–west perturbations from the 2-D drawing, but all of them were able to do so from the 3-D rendering. Moreover, three students had interpreted the 2-D drawing incorrectly and were able to correct the misconception on seeing the 3-D rendering. Our analysis strongly suggests that the cognitive processing of mental images is a key factor in the students' ability to correctly determine the magnetic perturbation due to the current wedge, and that determining the direction of a magnetic field from an arbitrary current is not an impediment. We also discuss the broader implications of this result for teaching about magnetism and the relationship to electric current.
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