Students’ understanding of electrostatic force as a vector quantity at the undergraduate level

Abstract

Electrostatic force is the preliminary and fundamental topic that forms the bedrock on which the conceptual framework of electromagnetism is built. Being a ‘vector’ quantity, electromagnetic force naturally inherits direction as well as magnitude. The conceptualization of such physical quantities may pose a challenge. The present work explores how students conceptualize the construct of electrostatic force from the viewpoint of its vector nature. Our effort is directed towards engaging students in problems aimed at their understanding of the concept of electrostatic force (a physical quantity) and analyse their responses for identifying the conceptual challenges. Our observations reveal that a significant fraction of conceptual difficulties in the concept of electrostatic force are due to insufficient understanding of operations involving vector quantities. The implications of this work indicate that the pedagogical aspects in physics classroom and curriculum design needs to be researched holistically so as to bridge-in the gaps obstructing the desired cognitive framework of students.