In recent years, the promising concept of metamaterials has entered the field of civil engineering. These type of configurations are characterized by extraordinary properties regarding prevention or guidance of wave propagation. In order to increase the potential frequency band in which such structures efficiently attenuate vibration, the concept of nonlinearity is here exploited. Negative stiffness elements are studied and arranged in a ...

Using analogies in science education is a broadly acknowledged method to better convey abstract concepts, even though analogies can also lead to misconceptions if not used properly. Narratives instead could be helpful to tackle such misconceptions by inducing students’ dissatisfactions with their explanations. To investigate the potential of narratives compared to expository texts on refuting misconceptions, we examined students' understanding ...