
Dr. Yuhfen Lin
- Email: ylin30@csuchico.edu
Research Interests:
- Student epistemology beliefs and learning approach
- Building a cooperative learning community
- Assessment and motivation
CURE-E Course: Physics for Students of Science and Engineering: Mechanics (PHYS 204A)
Project Title: Building marble tracks & learning physics
Students in this intro physics mechanics course will use 3D printer to print out marble tracks.
Through building the marble track with 3D printing, students get to apply the physics they learned in class on a real design project. They will have to take into consideration how fast the marble would be running, how sharp they could make the turns, how far the marbles can jump…etc. In the process of doing this project, they also need to learn how to make 3D printing designs and draw out the tracks on the software to communicate with the 3D printer. They also need to take into consideration with the friction on the track which we normally ignore in our calculation. They also need to deal with the unexpected difficulties that might come up as they working on their project. The advantage is that they get to test their tracks with the marble and get the instant feedback whether it works or not.
The purpose of this course is for student to learn to think like a physicist. That means to learn to think critically, to problem solve, and to learn new skills as they work. This CURE-E project will allow students to solve a real-world problem in a resource-rich environment.
