Courseware for Teaching Nanotechnology Alfred Hubler, ahublerillinois'edu Center of Complex Systems

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Courseware for Teaching NanotechnologyAlfred
Hubler, a-hubler_at_illinois.edu Center of Complex
Systems Research, Physics, UIUC
http//server10.how-why.com/blog

• We create virtual teachers for WWW e-learning,
  who
• infer the reasoning of the student from free
  response input, and guide them
• parse quality course ware, memorize it, and use
  it
• show emotions, humor, and have high expectations.
• We find - The students use reasoning
  strategies in other fields.
• Instant quality feedback, on concepts and
  strategies can increase the homework completion
  rate by an order of magnitude at a minimal cost.
• The amount of courseware covered / student study
  time can more than triple, in particular for
  weaker students.
• A. Hübler, A. Vlasic, E. Stiegler, L. Bievenue,
  D. Raineri, Interactive Middle School Courseware
  on Abstract Reasoning Skills, in C. Crawford et
  al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for
  Information Technology and Teacher Education
  International Conference 2006 (AACE Chesapeake,
  VA, 2006) pp 389-394.

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• High quality course ware
• Why is Wikipedia so popular among researchers and
  students?
• -Its free.
• Deeper reason
• Many concepts are explained well, in contrast
  to standard textbooks. Standard textbooks give
  little intuition They do not explain the range
  of applicability of Newtons law, EM, band
  structure, .
• Example Light bulb

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Name of the concept

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Icon for the concept

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Context of the concept
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Definition of the concept
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Discussion of the concept

More abstract versions of the concept
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High quality course ware Discussion of the joke

Range of applicability, and examples
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High quality course ware Discussion of the joke.

Relations to other concepts
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Definition of a Concept 1. A descriptive name,
such as Light bulb joke 2. An identification
number, such as Law 7 and a logo 3. A
description of the context in which the concept
is typically used, such The punch line of the
joke is generally derogatory to a group. 4. A
definition of the concept in terms of
sub-concepts, prerequisite concepts, and common
knowledge. 5. Discussion -A range of
applicability identifies when the concept is true
and useful. Further synonyms and opposites are
introduced. Examples The weight force is Wmg
for an object on the surface of the earth. , or
For any real number x - Several single
concept examples use the concept all by itself,
such as What is the weight force on a 2kg
object? - Several multiple concept examples and
exercises use the concept plus one or several
substitutions. They can also include translations
to other fields and common knowledge examples
(50 of content).
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• Digital Wires
• -Wires are used to move energy (power lines,
  power grid) and information (data transmission
  lines, Internet) in electrical networks.
• -Lee Rubel showed that dynamical systems with
  more than 7 degrees of freedom are chaotic gt the
  dynamics of large networks of analog wires are
  unstable.
• Specific advantages of digital wires
• - Fixed pulse shape (increased reliability)
• Robust against electric smog (increased
  reliability)
• - No cross talk (increased reliability)
• - No echoes (increased reliability)
• Adjustable pulse speed (increased adjustability)
• Encryption (increased security)
• The digital wire as a general purpose computer
  (increased adjustability)
• Neurons are digital wires.

Digital Wire
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Digital wires Definition A digitial wire is a
long network of cells. Digital pulses travel
along the digital wire, according to the
following rule Ax1,y f (Ax,y-1, Ax,y,
Ax,y-1) -i.e. the state of the cell Ax1,y 0,1,
depends only on the upstream
neighbors. Discussion Digital wires are
hardware implementations of elementary cellular
automata (S. Wolfram). Therefore a digital wire
can be a general purpose computer.
Digital Wire
Digital wire (Boolean network, xor rule)
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High quality course ware Digital Wire
Data Program
Direction of pulse propagation
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High quality course ware Digital Wire
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High quality course ware Digital Wire
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High quality course ware Digital Wire
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High quality course ware Digital Wire
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High quality course ware Digital Wire

• Discussion, continued
• Digital wires on various scales
• -nano- level thin film transistor networks
  (parallel , reliable input for CPUs, may replace
  CPU), quantum dot networks, neurons (brain)
• - Atomic level electron hopping from atom to
  atom along a path on a macro molecule (hard ware
  implementations of neural nets)
• Mesoscopic level Boolean networks, Field
  programmable gate arrays (image processing)
• Macroscopic level power lines with phase
  sensitive switches every 10 miles (no cascading
  power failures), city traffic
• Data transmission lines versus power lines
• There is energy traveling with every pulse.
  Computation does not necessarily consume much
  power (conservative computation).
• Periodic pulses can produce a lot of power.
• Pulses that carry information look random.
• H. Higuraskh, A. Toriumi, F. Yamaguchi, K.
  Kawamura, A. Hübler, Correlation Tunnel Device,
  U. S. Patent 5,679,961 (1997)

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High quality course ware Digital Wire

• Discussion, continued
• Different cellular automata rules
• -Rule 110 general purpose computer
• Rule 204 identity rule
• Rule 30 random number generator
• Rule 254 self-repairing pulses
• Rule 0 trivial
• Merging data from different digital wires

Given is the state 000111010. What is the pulse
one time step later for rule 0? 000000000
Wire 1
Wire 2
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The Definition of the concept Prime Factoring
in the Mathematics handbook Math on Call
(Kaplan 1998). Prime Factoring is the name.
061 is the identification number and the graph
of the factor tree serves as a logo. The first
sentence describes the use context. The One
Way symbol indicates the definition of the
concept in terms of sub-concepts. Further a
single concept example is given. There are no
multiple concept examples. The authors omitted
multiple concept examples since this book is
considered a companion to a regular text book.
Still, multiple concept examples would improve
the definition of the concept Prime Factoring.
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How many nanotechnologists does it take to
replace a light bulb?
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How many nanotechnologists does it take to
replace a light bulb? Obama.
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How many nanotechnologists does it take to
replace a light bulb? Obama. This is a
sur-realistic version of the joke. Next topic
Conceptualization of strategies
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High quality course ware facts about reasoning

• Conceptualization of Strategies Reasoning
• Some facts about reasoning
• Fact 1 Most reasoning is chaotic, -i.e. small
  uncertainties in the assumptions lead to larger
  and larger differences in the conclusions, in a
  long chains of arguments . There are almost
  always small uncertainties in the assumptions.
• gt inverse problem only short chains of
  arguments can be inferred from knowing the
  assumptions and conclusions.
• - Fact 2 A large fraction of reasoning is in
  English, and not in terms of symbols. Only basic
  concepts are in symbols , -, , , in
  contrast to sin(), is smooth, Solve for the
  unknown,

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High quality course ware facts about reasoning
abstract concepts are worded in English
Most of the reasoning is in English, only basic
concepts are phrased in symbols. Example
Edwards and Penney, Calculus with Analytical
Geometry, Fourth Edition (Prentice Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1994), p399
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High quality course ware facts about reasoning
Fact 3 We have to learn to reason and to
communicate reasoningits a language and the
main reason why we learn it is We do not want to
disappoint our teacher, -i.e. a one-on-one
relation with the teacher Fact 4 Teachers in
public schools are often overworked
(150students/day) and underpaid, -i.e. are not
the primary bread winner of a family gt teachers
are seen as distant and cold Conclusion Quality
education for a large fraction of the population
is only achievable with virtual tutors, that can
reason and show emotions, humor, and have high
expectations.
Edwards and Penney, Calculus with Analytical
Geometry, Fourth Edition (Prentice Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1994), p399
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evaluating expressions
The language of reasoning
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evaluating expressions
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evaluating expressions
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evaluating expressions
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evaluating expressions
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evaluating expressions
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evaluating expressions
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evaluating expressions
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evaluating expressions
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High quality course ware virtual tutor proofing
Computer assisted proofing A typical set of
given concepts for a Middle School level proof
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Tutor shows emotions.
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Geometry, Conditionals, Physical Quantities
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Before e-learning

After e-learning
Students use reasononing skills even in hand
written homework
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High quality course ware virtual tutor results
Computer assisted reasoning, a 3-year test at
Campus Middle School Results
Students complete 15-20 homework problems/day

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A cumbersome evaluation .

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takes less than one minute

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• Summary
• Why is Wikipedia so popular among students and
  scientist?
• - Its well conceptualized. A concept contains a
  name, icon, definition discussion. Strategies
  are recipies, algorithms. Methods are short
  strategies.
• Why do students do their homework?
• - Because they do not want to disappoint the
  teacher.
• Why do students have to show their work?
• - Most reasoning is chaotic, -i.e. small
  uncertainties in the assumptions lead to
• larger and larger differences in the conclusions,
  in a long chains of arguments
• gt inverse problem only short chains of
  arguments can be inferred from knowing the
  assumptions and conclusions.
• Most multiple choice homework problems require
  very little reasoning, test methods, but dont
  test strategies.
• The students learn to communicate their
  reasoning.
• The virtual teacher can learn new strategies from
  the students.
• Why does the virtual teacher have to speak and
  understand English (Arabic)?
• Abstract concepts are phrased in English
  (Arabic).
• -Everybody who knows something about the subject
  area, can teach the virtual teacher, no computer
  programming knowledge is required. Students,
  teachers, researchers, everybody who speaks
  English (Arabic) can teach the virtual teacher.
• - The virtual teacher can rephrase an abstract
  concept in terms of everyday concepts, and group
  a set of everyday concepts into an abstract
  concepts and name it.

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Courseware for Teaching NanotechnologyAlfred
Hubler, a-hubler_at_illinois.edu Center of Complex
Systems Research, Physics, UIUC
http//server10.how-why.com/blog

• The greatest natural resource in the Middle
  East is the thoughtfulness and ingenuity of the
  students.
• Quantitative reasoning skills are a fundamental
  tool in many fields, ranging from Mathematics to
  Engineering and from Business to Rhetoric.
• Quantitative reasoning is almost never taught
  as a course, but in the context of other
  disciplines, such as Mathematics or Physics.
• We introduce basic elements of reasoning, such
  as the definition of a concept, a method, and a
  strategy and study the impact on the students.

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• We also conceptualize strategies .
• We teach understanding teach translating
  real world problems to Algebra, Physics, and
  back, - abstract concepts to practical concepts
  und vice versa Biology problems to Algebra and
  back.
• We find that a diverse population of female
  middle school students readily accepts this
  approach and outperforms their peers, and we
  noticed a low drop out rate in Physics
  Chemistry UG introductory courses.
• We are open for collaborations.
• Thank you.
• - D. Raineri, A. Hübler, B. Mertens, CyberprofTM
  An Intelligent Human-Computer Interface for
  Interactive Instruction on the World Wide Web,
  JALN 1, 20 (1997)
• - A. Hübler, A. Vlasic, E. Stiegler, L. Bievenue,
  D. Raineri, Interactive Middle School Courseware
  on Abstract Reasoning Skills, in C. Crawford et
  al. (Eds.), (AACE Chesapeake, VA, 2006) pp
  389-394.