http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/ 2020-01-26T23:00:10-08:00 http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/ http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/lib/images/favicon.ico text/html 2012-01-13T11:02:09-08:00 http://sites.science.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki/whitepapers:multiplerepresentations:start?rev=1326481329 Multiple representations and touchstone examples by Mary Bridget Kustusch In physics, we have many ``touchstone examples'' (e.g. the simple harmonic oscillator) that we use as metaphors. These metaphors allow us to approach a new (and usually more complicated) phenomenon by connecting it to one that we understand well and for which we have a rich set of resources. If the new phenomenon is presented in a representation that is different from our example, it can be difficult to make the connecti…