Interactive Physics LabsOnline, Computer-based Labs

Concepts of Physics

Devry University in Pomona, CA offers Concepts of Physics course One-semester course

General survey course for all students Aimed at non-scientists

Breadth of course poses unique challenges

Lecture and Lab

Labs are the best way to see “physics in action”

Some courses have “demonstrations”

No chance for interactive, hands-on experience

Group Lab Section

Some courses offer group labs Divide the class into multiple, large

groups Equipment constraints:

Variety and quantity of equipment Equipment budget, maint., etc. Experimental errors and

FRUSTRATION Alternative pedagogical

methodologies need to be explored

Blended/Hybrid Learning to the rescue! Create applet-based “virtual” labs Instead of large groups watching a demo, each

student can have a personalized learning experience

Students work at their own pace Eliminate equipment issues that usually sidetrack

students and take away from the physical concepts you're trying to explore Might be a disadvantage for science majors

Minimize experimental errors that can stump and, even worse, frustrate non-science majors Makes learning difficult concepts FUN!

What is an applet?

An application that runs in the browser's window

What's Shockwave? Interactive multimedia authoring

app What's Java?

Industrial strength programming language (compile once, run everywhere)

Sample Lab #1 Measurement and use of the Vernier Caliper http://www.sethi.org/classes/elabs/lab_01.html The idea of this lab is to use simple measuring tools (a ruler and a

Vernier caliper) to measure dimensions of objects in both the English and the Metric units and show that they are equivalent. This exercise requires some unit conversion.

Sample Lab #2 Fluid Behaviour & Density http://www.sethi.org/classes/elabs/lab_02.html These experiments are aimed at: a) the determination of the density of

an irregularly shaped object from the volume of fluid displaced when it is immersed in a fluid and it's mass when measured on a balance and b) the demonstration of the principles governing fluid behaviour.

Sample Lab #3 Temperature and Heat http://www.sethi.org/classes/elabs/lab_03.html To determine the temperature of a liquid in degrees Fahrenheit and Centigrade

and to use the data to confirm the general relationship between the two scales. Also, to determine the specific heat of a metal object by measuring the amount of heat transferred from that metal object to another, cooler body (of water). But the main purpose of this lab is to elucidate the scientific method at work.

Sample Lab #4 Centripetal Force & Motio http://www.sethi.org/classes/elabs/lab_04.html If an object moves in a circular path there must be a Centripetal Force

acting on it. This experiment determines this Centripetal Force and compares it with the balancing force of gravity on a hanging object.

Sample Lab #5 Buoyancy http://www.sethi.org/classes/elabs/lab_05.html These experiments are aimed at: a) the determination of the density of

an irregularly shaped object from the volume of fluid displaced when it is immersed in a fluid and it's mass when measured on a balance and b) the demonstration of the principles governing fluid behaviour.

Drawbacks to the online approach Some students lament the lack of an actual

hands-on experience, where they can feel the equipment and really see the physics in action

Sometimes, the most learning occurs when things go wrong! Fixing equipment, figuring out where an error

happened, or improving the experiment can all lead to great insight

Science majors might need more specialized labs (perhaps designing the lab themselves) The variety of online labs and applets,

although great, is still limited in comparison to the plethora of physical experiments possible in a real lab

Flexible Online Options

Totally online or partial-online supplement

Extend to other subjects, like Astronomy, Engineering, Chemistry, Calculus, etc.

Completely interactive, stand-alone labs instead of Instructor-Led labs

Requirements

Server: any web server should suffice Recommendation: RedHat Linux

9.0 or another free Linux distro Client: any Java- and Shockwave-

enabled browser Recommendation: IE, Mozilla, or

Firebird Additional requirements for non-

Instructor-Led labs

Editing and customizing Java Applets Find Java applets online

http://www.google.com or http://www.yahoo.com or http://www.sethi.org/colloquiums/interactive_physics.html

Copyright and Licensing Issues MUST obtain author’s permission

to use applets! Write or Hack!

Hacking the Java source using javad or writing your own applets

Outcome, Assessment, & Impact Learner-based concept of

education Tried by both Principal

Investigators in Phys 214 in multiple terms

VERY positive feedback by students

ToDo

Create uniform interface for all the labs

Create a new LabView/game-like environment where students create their own labs subject to laws of physics

Extend to DHTML based, stand-alone labs

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. A. Cherif, Dr. C. Koop, Dr. D. Overbye, Dr. B. Aron, and Dr. N. LaChance for their support in the Faculty Technology Grant program at Devry University.