A 5E-Based Learning Workshop on Various Aspects of the Hall Effect

Learning activities in constructivist environments are characterized by active engagement, inquiry, problem solving, and collaboration with peers. The 5E learning cycle is a student-centered instructional model for constructivism, where the students perform five phases of instruction: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation. The purpose of this contribution is to present a 5E-based learning path of advanced physics aimed at strengthening Physics/Engineering student understanding about the quantum Hall effect, a phenomenon observed at low temperatures in a two-dimensional electron gas subject to a strong perpendicular magnetic field. The quantum Hall effect, a rare example of microscopic effects observable on a macroscopic scale, allows us to establish very precise values of microscopic quantities, such as the electron charge and the Planck constant. In the present learning path, we stimulate a discussion about the integer and fractional quantum Hall effects, aimed at introducing a unified picture based upon composite fermions, interacting quasiparticles that may be viewed as fermions carrying attached a fictitious magnetic flux. Finally, we discuss the quantum effect in graphene, the ‘miracle material’ for its unique and exceptional properties.