In the fields of science, technology, and math we often run into the hurdle of having to verbally explain a concept that is more easily illustrated, or better yet, physically demonstrated by example. Such physically based concepts involve objects or phenomena that must be somehow drawn to the best of our ability on a less than optimal two-dimensional surface. The need to demonstrate the way in which these objects or phenomena move and work, is accomplished through excessive verbiage, rudimentary hand-waving, or attempts to draw representative movement or change marks on top of a prior illustration -- often obscuring the object upon which the concept is based. To address questions posed by the audience regarding such concepts, our presence is required to answer and elaborate upon points of confusion.

Extremely illustrative and interactive environments that are well suited for presenting these physically based concepts already exist. These environments utilize three-dimensional computer graphics and provide user interaction. Within such environments, one can create highly realistic models of physical objects, simulate motion and internal mechanisms, and provide an interface that allows the audience to discover answers though interactive exploration. Furthermore, learning concepts in this manner is arguably more memorable for tactile and visual learners, as their understanding evolves through participation rather then verbal explanation. Also, the need for the creator to be present is lessened because he or she can incorporate answers to common questions via explanatory animation and interactivity. Via the World Wide Web, these environments can be immediately and easily disseminated to, essentially, a limitless audience. An audience that, often due to social or economic limitations, includes member that would not be exposed to these concepts.

However, the ability to effectively create content for these environments currently requires a considerable understanding of the mathematics, programming, and computer graphics. This requirement unnecessarily excludes a large population that would otherwise greatly benefit from the use of such an effective explanatory environment. The proposed research will investigate the learning experience and thought processes of those who have become proficient in creating explanatory interactive visual simulations. The results of these investigations will provide a foundation upon which methodologies and tools for developing such simulations can be built.

Illustrative Examples

A purely written or verbal explanation of the physics and mechanics required to create a self-stabilizing robot is certainly possible but would probably be unnecessarily lengthy and awkward. A person imparting such knowledge would be immeasurably facilitated by a working example of the required self-stabilizing mechanism. However, building an actual robot to explain self-stabilization parallels building a ship to explain buoyancy. An interactive simulation of a self-stabilizing robot mechanism is much more practical. The image to the left is a snapshot of a World Wide Web accessible Java applet that accomplishes this goal. In this applet the mechanism can be seen simulating the motions of a gyroscope and counter-torque mechanism as they keep the robot upright. When viewing this applet, one can interactively use the mouse to rotate the view of the mechanism as it runs. [Insert thought processes and methodology involved in creating this applet here] Note that Java applets implemented using pure Java 1.1, such as this one, can run on practically any browser -- including older browsers running on past generations of popular operating systems. This compatibility further increases the accessibility of these simulations to economically disadvantaged schools and homes that often have less current technology.

The applet screenshot to the right illustrates the concept that when spheres are packed into a minimum space they will form a regular structure in which every sphere abuts exactly 12 neighbors. A conventional explanation of such an occurrence would likely require one to make a best attempt at artistically drawing twelve packed three-dimensional spheres, and would also require his or her presence to answer questions. Though it is the three-dimensionality of this concept that begs for an interactive three-dimensional model. The screenshot to the right is of an applet that demonstrates the packed spheres concept. The simulation is close to ideal for illustrating the concept as it interactivity allows the user to manipulate the spheres and rotate the construct to help to answer questions and see the concept from any angle. [Insert thought processes and methodology involved in creating this applet here]

The image to the left is a screenshot of a interactive optical workbench applet. For this applet a two-dimensional side view is used to shows how light travels through convex and concave lenses. This example provides an entire experimental environment in which the use can add or remove convex or concave lenses and adjust their location and focal length. Again, a verbal or written explanation of lens concavity and focal length, even supported by the use of visual aids, could require a significant question and answer session. However an interactive simulation such as the one shown can answer many of those questions in a memorable way through exploration and experimentation. [Insert thought processes and methodology involved in creating this applet here]

Yet, the example applets above were produced by a skilled computer science professor with special expertise in graphics. The goals for this research include the production of tools and methodologies focused on facilitating simulation modeling. With these tools and methodologies one can develop similar applets which illustrate mathematic, scientific and technological concepts, and include interactivity to answer possible questions or curiosities, in a manner that does not require an inordinate amount of computer programming or graphics skills.