Abstract:
In this paper the use of orbital energy diagrams in General Chemistry textbooks used in Brazilian universities throughout the twentieth century was analyzed. Sixteen textbooks published between 1950 and 2001 were selected. C. S. Peirce’s semiotics was chosen to analyze the use of energy diagrams in the textbooks. The analysis revealed that the use of orbital energy diagrams occurs in different contexts and with different goals. From a semiotic point of view, the meanings of the signs that make up the diagrams and the rules guiding their construction and operation are previously agreed, thus providing the foundations for their interpretation. However, more subtle aspects deviate from such foundations and may result in interpretations that were unintended by the textbooks authors. Such misconceptions may be overcome by means of more elaborate insights into the nature and the role of representations in teaching, such as those arising from Peircean semiotics.
Keywords:
Higher education; Textbook; Semiotics; Diagrams; Orbital
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