Introducing this Spark
The AI Spark involves deconstructing complex physics problems in individual steps and understanding how these steps relate to concepts learned in class. This is achieved through a Socratic tutoring process: the tool never provides answers but rather asks questions leading the student to think about how to solve the problem.
Learning Outcome
After completing this activity, students will be able to reflect on the steps necessary to convert general in-class knowledge into solving practical problems. Understanding how physical laws transfer into real-world numerical problems is one of the main learning goals of the course.
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Implementation Guide for Instructors
The information below is provided to help instructors implement this AI Spark learning activity in other courses. It includes technical instructions for setting up the activity, a strategy for assessing student learning, and additional resources to help with AI tool configuration.
The activity uses a Gemini Gem designed to help the student solve homework problems. The Gem acts as a Socratic tutor: while having access to the solutions, the Gem never reveals the answers but rather asks a series of questions leading the student to find the correct procedure to solve the problem. The tool is intended to help the student transfer the theoretical concepts learned in class into practical knowledge that is useful in solving numerical problems.
- Use the "Gem Creator" tool in the Gemini Web interface (it is advised to use the "Pro" version of the LLM).
- Upload the PDF file with the homework set of problems (each problem can have multiple questions), including full step-by-step solutions, as "Knowledge", at the end of the Gem creator interface.
- Click on "Disable Knowledge Citations".
- In the "Instructions" field, enter the system prompt provided in the Resources tab.
- Share the Gem link with students.
Canvas Setup: Post the Gem link on the Homework Assignment page. Instruct students to discuss each problem in a separate chat session, save their transcripts as PDF files, complete their homework worksheet, and submit their solutions along with the transcripts and a reflection essay.
The students must provide the full transcript of the chat, which will allow the instructor to evaluate if the conversation has provided insights useful to solve the homework problems. Tracing the sticky points in the conversations allows the instructor to determine the most confusing points to the students and take remedial action in class. The instructor will achieve a full analysis of the conversations by feeding all anonymized transcripts to Gemini and asking for its insights on the outcome. The instructor can directly compare the grades of the students using this Gem with the outcome from previous semesters, since the same problem set has been used in previous years.
Link to the Shared Gem: Keplerian Gravity Tutor
Knowledge Source Materials: Homework worksheet with solutions (not publicly available online since it contains the solutions of the homework set but can be provided upon request). It is advised that the solutions provided to the LLM as "knowledge course" are detailed and self-explanatory: this helps Gemini follow the solution path the instructor intended when designing the homework, avoiding mistakes and hallucinations.
Key Behavioral Constraints: The main constraint is to never reveal the solution to the student. Additional constraints include zero leakage of mathematical solutions, no premature naming of formulas/laws before the student introduces them, asking only one guiding question per turn, and using internal sequence phases without revealing the hidden step-by-step plan.
ROLE AND PURPOSE: You are an expert Astrophysics Teaching Assistant guiding a junior/senior-level college student through their calculus-based homework. Your goal is to help them build physical intuition and problem-solving skills using the Socratic method.
ABSOLUTE RULES ZERO LEAKAGE (FOLLOW WITHOUT EXCEPTION):
- NEVER solve the math, integrate, differentiate, or provide final numerical answers.
- NEVER outline your step-by-step plan to the student.
- NEVER introduce physical quantities, laws, formulas, or variable names (e.g., "semi-major axis," "conservation of momentum," "Kepler's Third Law") before the student has explicitly typed them in the current conversation.
- NEVER explicitly point out a math or algebra error. Instead, ask them to verify their units, check their boundary conditions, or take a mathematical limit to see if their result makes physical sense.
- Ask ONLY ONE guiding question per response.
- If the student asks you for the answer or the next step, reply: "I cannot give you the answer because building physical intuition is the core goal here. Let's step back..."
DYNAMIC INTERNAL ANALYSIS (DO NOT OUTPUT):
When the student pastes a problem, you must internally analyze it to determine the required physical laws, necessary variables, and potential traps (like unit conversions, coordinate system choices, or boundary conditions). Do not output this analysis. Use it solely to guide the student through the following sequence.
THE UNIVERSAL SOCRATIC SEQUENCE:
You must guide the student strictly through these phases. Do not move to the next phase until the student has successfully answered the current one.
Phase 1: Identify the Physical System and Law.
Do not let them start with equations. Ask them to describe the physical system in plain English. Ask them to identify the core physical principle, conservation law, or fundamental theorem that governs the problem.
Phase 2: Identify the Variables.
Once they name the law, ask them what specific variables or quantities that law requires. Ask them to identify which of those variables are known from the problem text and which is the unknown target variable.
Phase 3: Data Mapping and Traps (The "Gotchas").
Before they set up the math, ask them to evaluate the given data. Are the units consistent? Does the geometry of the problem require a specific coordinate system? Example: If they are given altitude but the law requires orbital radius, ask them what the given value measures geometrically.
Phase 4: Mathematical Setup and Sanity Checks.
Ask them to set up the equation or integral. If they get stuck during the math, ask them to evaluate the physical dimensions of their equation (dimensional analysis) or check the limits (e.g., "What happens to your equation as r -> infinity? Does that match the physical reality?").
CONVERSATION START:
Always begin the conversation with exactly this greeting: "Welcome to HW1 Astrophysics Tutor! To get started, please paste the full text of the problem you are working on, specify which part you are currently tackling, and tell me about your initial thoughts on the physical system involved."
Instructions for Students
In addition to helping students understand the purpose of this AI-based learning activity, the information below provides step-by-step instructions for completing the assignment and includes a micro training on how to use the featured AI tool(s).
For this homework assignment, you will use an AI Socratic tutor. By conversing with the tutor through a chat, you will analyze all the elements necessary to solve the homework problems by identifying the relevant physical laws, the physical variables in play, and performing a dimensional analysis of the result.
AI tools can now easily solve any college-based homework physics problem. Over-relying on AI tools, however, risks reducing your learning outcomes by providing a shortcut to the solution, without allowing you to internalize how the problems are really solved. A Socratic tutor, on the other hand, may help guide your reasoning with a series of questions, without passively providing the solution.
- To access the tool, click the provided link on the Homework Assignment page in Canvas.
- Make sure that you are using the "Pro" version of the tool (selector on the bottom-right of the prompt window). For access to the "Pro" version of Gemini, you must be logged in with your school account.
- Start the conversation by stating which problem and which question you are going to address first. (Note that the Gem will not solve the math or provide numbers; you must describe the physical system, identify the variables, and set up the equations in response to its guiding questions.)
- Gemini will answer by starting to guide you through the solution of the problem by asking questions on how you intend to begin (e.g., which physical law may be relevant to the problem).
- Every time you provide an answer, Gemini will ask a new question whose answer will further your understanding of the problem and its solution.
- Once you have completed all parts of one problem, ask Gemini to generate a PDF file with the full transcript of the conversation. Download the file and include it in your homework submission.
- When you are ready to solve a second problem, close the chat and start a new one by clicking the link. You should discuss each problem in a separate chat and produce separate transcripts for each problem.
- Once you have completed all the problems in the assignment, write a short (one or two paragraph) essay reflecting on your experience in using the AI Socratic tutor, which you will also upload as part of the homework submission.
What to Submit
- Homework worksheet: Worksheet with complete solutions for all problems of the homework assignment.
- Chat transcripts: PDF transcripts of the whole conversation for each problem. It is advised to start with a new chat for each problem: this clears the LLM context window and makes it easier to follow the conversation for each problem.
- Reflection essay: Student's reflection on the experience of using a Socratic tutor. Address if you found the AI Socratic tutor useful or not: did it help with understanding the physical concepts necessary to solve the problems; did it save you from making mistakes you would have overlooked otherwise; did it slow you down in completing the homework; and did you find the process confusing? Note whether you would like to have a similar system available for other homework assignments and/or exam preparation.
What is a Gem? A Gem is a version of Google's Gemini AI chat that your instructor has preloaded with instructions. There’s nothing to set up — open the link and reply to its questions like a text conversation. Read more about Google Gems.
- Sign in. Open the Gem link and sign in with your Google account. If you see "You don't have access," you're likely signed in with the wrong account — sign out and try again.
- Send a message. Click the box at the bottom ("Ask Gemini"), type Begin Session, and press Enter. Replies appear above the box; wait for the reply to finish before responding.
- Reply in the same chat. The Gem remembers the whole conversation. Don't click "New chat", which will start the session over.
- Lost the page? Go to gemini.google.com → open the sidebar (☰) → Recent → click the conversation to continue where you left off.
- Copy the output. Hover over the top-right corner of the gray text box and click the Copy icon, then paste with Ctrl + V (Win) / Cmd + V (Mac).
- Good to know. Type text, rather than use voice (Gems don't work with Gemini Live). Don't enter passwords or sensitive personal information. Keep in mind that the Gem may ask you to expand a short answer.
- Access via FSU. Always access the tool via your FSU institutional account; personal accounts will default to an unconfigured model that produces generic, overly harsh, or ungrounded responses.