Abstract

TORRES MERCHAN, Nidia Yaneth; SOLBES, Jordi; SUAREZ BALLESTEROS, Camilo Arturo  and  CASAS HINESTROZA, José Luis. Difficulties in causal reasoning and in the concepts used to explain the Mpemba effect. Educ. quím [online]. 2023, vol.34, n.4, pp.119-134.  Epub Jan 22, 2024. ISSN 0187-893X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fq.18708404e.2023.4.84713.

This study identifies the concepts that students use to explain the Mpemba effect and describes their difficulties in explaining it causally. For this, a class experience consisting of a video of the phenomenon was developed with questions, divided into three moments, about how and why the phenomenon occurs at the molecular level. 37 students from the 8th semester of the Natural Sciences Degree from a Colombian university participated. It was observed that the students associate their answers to concepts of heat flow, molecular kinetics and change of state of the material that are alluded to with causes. Among the difficulties, the limitation to describe the phenomenon temporarily stands out, so that the activities of the entities and their organization become evident.

Keywords : Mpemba effect; science education; mechanistic causal reasoning.

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