Traditionally, college physics teachers have emphasized problem solving as a way to learn physics (Fuller, 1982). Teachers and students alike are not always satisfied with their problem-solving efforts. One reason for this may lie in the different approach that an expert (teacher) and novice (student) take to a problem (Larkin, McDermott, Simon and Simon, 1980). Novices tend to concentrate on the superficial features of a physics problem, whereas experts use principles of physics to analyze and solve a problem. For example, a novice would examine a problem like At the Gasthaus(Figure 1-1, page4), see a sign suspended by a post and a cable, and interpret it as a "sign problem."On the other hand, an expert would most likely see the same problem and interpret it as a "static equilibrium problem."Novices also tend to immediately seek the proper equations that will solve the problem. That is, they attempt a quantitative analysis of the problem
before constructingan adequate qualitative analysis.