Taking the Phys-Math Interplay from Research into Practice

Physics and mathematics are heavily interwoven in the context of physics education at many levels. Research in physics education indicates that insufficient knowledge of the “Phys-Math” interplay may reflect on the quality of the learners’ explanations of physical phenomena, their ability to construct mathematical models of physical processes, or on their ability to describe the physical meaning of mathematical constructs (Clement et al. 1981; Cohen et al. 1983; Rozier S, Viennot L. Int J SciEdu 13:159–170, 1991; Rebmann and Viennot 1994; Bagno E, Eylon B,Berger H. Phys Edu 43(1):75–82, 2007; Redish EF, Smith KA. J Eng Edu97(3):295–307; Baumert et al. 2010; Zuccarini and Michelini 2014).