The purposes of students in conducting thought experiments while solving physics problem

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the purposes of students conducting thought experiments while solving physics problems. There were 12 voluntary participants in this study. They were undergraduate students at the Muhammadiyah University of Makassar in Indonesia. The participants were divided into three groups, so that each group consisted of four students. Physics problem-solving activities were used to set the necessary conditions for observing the processes of students in conducting thought experiments. The results show that while solving physics problems, students design and run thought experiments as a tool: to predict solutions to the problems, to check whether their hypothesis is true or false, and to provide further explanation about their hypothesis. Based on the results, we discuss the similarities and differences in goals between scientists and students in conducting thought experiments. We also discuss the importance and implications of thought experiments to both current and future physics teachers.