Several Ways of Using Computer Simulations

to Help Formalisation

R.M. Sperandeo-Mineo Department of Physical and Astronomical Sciences, Università di Palermo, Italy

F. Alicataa, L. Lupob, R.M Sperandeo-Mineo GRIAF (Research Group in Teaching/Learning Physics)

• Department of Physical and Astronomical Sciences- University of Palermo (Italy)

a)Istituto Magistrale Regina Margherita Palermob) Liceo Scientifico Galileo Galilei Palermo

Project supported by MURST: SeCiF-Project (Explaining and Understanding in Physics)

OBJECTIVE:

To provide student-teachers with learning environments and computational tools that will help them to express and reflect on their concepts and ideas about phenomena and support their activities concerning exploration, experimenting and modelling

Hands-on learning through activities : experiments and software

Training connected with experimentation in classroom

Teachers by themselves have to experience the kind of learning we think they should provide to the students

Physics Models as

Explanations of phenomena:

Descriptions of phenomena:* by making a selection from the complexity

* by providing an account of their behaviours

* by proposing (qualitative and quantitative ) mechanisms of behaviours

* by predicting their behaviours under different circumstances

The approach is developed in several phases

observing

analysing pupil’s spontaneous representations

experimenting

modelling

OBSERVING Motion of motes Heating of compressed gasses

Diffusion of perfume vapours Thermal expansion of gasses

• Boyle’s law (P vs V) A commercial sensor of pressure is used and volume is registered by the operator.

fitting is performed using EXCEL

EXPERIMENTING (USING MBL)

EXPERIMENTING (USING MBL)

• I Gay Lussac law (V vs T)

Sensors of temperature and motion

are used..

Fitting is performed using Excel.Experimental data (Pasco system)

EXPERIMENTING (USING MBL)

• II Gay Lussac Law (P vs T)

Sensors of temperature and pressure

are used.

Experimental data (Pasco system)

Pupil relevant ideas of atomic-scale models

• Gas molecules maintain some macroscopic properties (like thermal expansion, elasticity, stiffness,…)

• Gas molecules can move, on the contrary of liquid and solid molecules

• Gas molecules naturally tend to go away each other

• Gas molecules are embedded in some kind of substance (sometime called “heat”)

MODELLING USING “INTERACTIVE PHYSICS”

Introducing the pressure concept from a microscopic point of view

Experimenting with models

THE MODEL:

N particle (hard spheres)

M (mass) = mean mass of air molecules

vi (velocities) equal in modulo and random directions

V (volume of the container)= 10-24 m3

Video display of the Applet

Speed, number of particles and volume can be chosen by the user.

Results of simulations

Pressure vs. Volume

y = 16,05x-1,06

y = 10,05x-1,07

y = 3,98x-1,06

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

0 1 2 3 4

Volume (m^3 x 10^-24)

Pre

ss

ure

(P

asca

l x10

^5)

Np = 100

Np = 250

Np = 400

Results of simulations

Il Microworld STAR LOGO

A Gas of Particles

Evolution of particle speeds

How many particles with different speeds?

Distribution of velocity

Mean speed and mean square velocity

(vi2)/N

vi|/N

Elastic collisions between two discs

Elastic collisions between two discs

Computer–based learning environments can create contexts in which student-teachers can be actively engaged in their learning processes;

The different channels conveying information allow the using of different learning strategies;

A new curriculum

to process-based

from content-based

Learning by doing and by reflecting on

the procedures originating the results

Thornburg: “The future isn’t what is used to be”

Much of the failure to utilize technology in education today is the assumption that content is king……..in a world of rapid information growth, it is context that matters…context is king.

Rather than having students learn facts “just in case” they might need them someday, educators should promote “just in time” learning environments where students find solutions to real-world scenarios.