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Using MATLAB for Teaching Physics, Direct Current Circuits Problems Case Study

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Title: Using MATLAB for Teaching Physics, Direct Current Circuits Problems Case Study
Language: English
Authors: Isidor Kokalari (ORCID 0009-0005-9021-9173), Kosta Lili
Source: Science Education International. 2025 36(2):199-208.
Availability: International Council of Associations for Science Education. Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Education, Buca, Izmir 35150, Turkey. Tel: +90-532-4267927; Fax: +90-232-4204895; Web site: http://www.icaseonline.net/seiweb/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Computer Software, Physics, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Textbooks, Learning Processes, Programming Languages, Electronics, Problem Solving, Equations (Mathematics), Mathematics Instruction, Technological Literacy, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, High School Students
ISSN: 1450-104X
2077-2327
Abstract: Physics, even though it is guided by simple principles, tends for many topics to be obscured in the mathematics redundancy. MATLAB®, as interactive software for computer algebra, has already had an important impact on the way physics is taught by educators. It has also had a substantial impact on the way research is performed by students to overcome the detention of mathematical difficulties. The literature comparing MATLAB® with other programming languages used in teaching is addressed here in brief, along with the reasons why we choose MATLAB®. This paper aims to introduce, through some examples, the convenience of using MATLAB®, both for teaching and learning physics, by taking advantage of its computation power so that one can concentrate on applying the principles of "setting equations" instead of the technical details of "solving equations." Some examples found in physics textbooks are analytically solved. We have developed MATLAB® codes regarding these examples as special cases that can be generalized for analyzing electrical direct current circuits. We conclude that the user-friendly environment of MATLAB®, with its powerful built-in routines for a variety of computations, is an effective tool to teach circuit analysis to physics students.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1478395
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Physics, even though it is guided by simple principles, tends for many topics to be obscured in the mathematics redundancy. MATLAB®, as interactive software for computer algebra, has already had an important impact on the way physics is taught by educators. It has also had a substantial impact on the way research is performed by students to overcome the detention of mathematical difficulties. The literature comparing MATLAB® with other programming languages used in teaching is addressed here in brief, along with the reasons why we choose MATLAB®. This paper aims to introduce, through some examples, the convenience of using MATLAB®, both for teaching and learning physics, by taking advantage of its computation power so that one can concentrate on applying the principles of "setting equations" instead of the technical details of "solving equations." Some examples found in physics textbooks are analytically solved. We have developed MATLAB® codes regarding these examples as special cases that can be generalized for analyzing electrical direct current circuits. We conclude that the user-friendly environment of MATLAB®, with its powerful built-in routines for a variety of computations, is an effective tool to teach circuit analysis to physics students.
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        StartPage: 199
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