Models of magnetism
- 1 March 1998
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in International Journal of Science Education
- Vol. 20 (3), 361-378
- https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069980200308
Abstract
The mental models people construct and use to think about magnetic phenomena were investigated. The study was carried out in Brazil and involved secondary students, technical school students, physics teachers, engineers, and practitioners whose daily jobs are related to electricity and electromagnetism. Interviews, based on the sequence of prediction‐observation‐explanation, were conducted. Five models are proposed, following a progression from a simple description of effects to a field model.Keywords
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