A very simple animation of the familiar demonstration device. The animation shows a setup with five suspended hard spheres. One may control how many of the five balls are initially displaced.
Type of Material:
Java Animation
Technical Requirements:
None
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Observe the familiar demonstration.
Target Student Population:
All
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
None
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Runs smoothly with no apparent glitches.
Concerns:
There are no instructions, so one must figure out how to use the mouse to operate the simulation. This is not difficult.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Recommended Use for Material: Illustration that presumably would be accompanied by an explanation, or illustration for an on-line homework problem or JiTT assignment.
Concerns:
Use Material is not Suited For: Lecture demonstration - the real demonstration is easy to show and is much more convincing.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Easy to learn how to operate, despite the lack of instructions.
Concerns:
None
General Comments: The animation is apparently simulating ideal hard sphere collisions, a situation that the non-virtual demonstration approximates quite well. The physics appears to be accurate for the ideal case that is being simulated.
It is very easy to use. This is a nifty, simple animation that might well be extremely useful for an on-line illustration or could be usefully incorporated into a tutorial or homework assignment regarding collisions, giving students direct access to the demonstration.
The reviewers do not see a clear use in and of itself for this animation in an instructional setting that isn?t better served by the actual demonstration. Perhaps it could be used in a large lecture hall where it would be difficult for students in the back rows to see the standard demonstration device or as an online reminder of the demo done in class. As a lecture-demo, it would be preferable to use some sort of video camera set-up to enable the viewing of the real-world device.
Creative Commons:
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