Conceptual Design Project on Learning of a Topic from A level Physics on Topic 14:Oscillations and Waves: Superposition
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MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang Conceptual Design Project on Learning of a Topic from A level Physics on Topic 14: Oscillations and Waves: Superposition By: Wee Loo Kang, Physics Teacher with Yishun Junior College, Ministry of Education, Singapore [email protected]Mentored by: Michael J. Jacobson, Ph.D, [email protected]and Chi Kit Looi, Ph.D [email protected]Associate Professors with the Learning Sciences and Technology MID816 for Michael J. Jacobson, Ph.D and Chi Kit Looi, Ph.D. Page 1/28
Transcript
MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
Conceptual Design Project on Learning of a
Topic from A level Physics on Topic 14:
Oscillations and Waves: Superposition
By: Wee Loo Kang, Physics Teacher with Yishun Junior College, Ministry of
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MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
Conceptual Design Project on E-Learning system on the learning of a topic from
A level Physics on topic 14: Oscillations and Waves: Superposition
2. Content Analysis
Taken from the A level syllabus 9246, the topic 14 is subdivided into the following
subtopics.
14.1 Stationary waves
14.2 Diffraction
14.3 Interference
14.4 Two-source interference patterns
14.5 Diffraction grating
The design will be based on these subtopics.
3. Conceptual DesignThe larger view of the system is multi-disciplinary, with contents from sciences,
mathematics, reading, social studies and language.
The e-Learning system is an integrated system where topic 14. Superposition is
one of the modules available.
3.1 Personal Login
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MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
The login is fast and hassle free. The design allows the learner to continue from
the previous saved learning “journey” immediately, than to go to the main page of
e-learning system.
3.2 Computer Human Interface
As the learner journeys through the subtopics, the learning tools and computer
human interface should be coherent, so that the learner can transfer his/her
familiarity with one subtopic to another.
3.3 Overall Environment (third person view of 3D game like virtual world)
Figure 1: A conceptual screenshot, showing 3 D environment of avatars.
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c) Mini-map for navigation
e) Avatar with learning accomplishments
a) Menu Toolbars: Save work, customize settings
b) Side-Bar Pages, Info page, quests, links, email, knowledge mediator
d) Chat area, text or voice over IP technology
Learning stations to launch learning activities
MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
This part represents an overall design approach. The design is to promote both
male and female learner to return to the game in order to increase the levels of
their avatars/personae. The avatar will have medals of completion of
subtopics/modules, allowing the learner to compete against each other.
There are also activities with multi user dimensions, to allow them to explore and
learn together as a team. This design allows users to participate in schools and
after school centres like their homes, and travel through virtual spaces to perform
educational activities, talk to other learners and mentors..
Users can see who else is in this virtual “classroom” and they can communicate,
share information, post their understandings, media clips and pictures that they
have created or found on the web, to enrich the learning environment. There will
be virtual spaces like forums equipped with suitable tools for constructivist
collaborative learning, where learner and facilitator create knowledge together.
This develops a sense of autonomy and an awareness of consequentiality.
The ability for the creation of these realistic java applets by any user is truly
remarkable feature in this environment. This design empowers the learner to
create new content for learning. The learner can also insert hypermedia and
information to scaffold further thinking processing of other learners and even their
own, at a later time.
Knowledge mediator tools can be easily used to help explore the educational
activities. The multi-user exploring again feature, allows different learners to co-
construct this virtual space, makes learning a team building and enjoyable
experience. This technology rich game environmental design will teach and
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MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
inform, with excitement about learning. The design feature will develop engaging
classroom culture and relevant aspects of student life to inspire consistent
participation with educational goals attained
3.4 Assessment
Portfolio assessment like action plans, interviews scrapbooks, presentations,
stories, reflections can be used. Learner can also saved their setup in the virtual
laboratory and add personalized notes to extend the experiments shows
competence. Individual conquest home page for each learner, showing their
achievements and advancement can also serve as a repository for their work and
assessments.
4. Specific Designs on Superposition
The lessons are designed coherently to link up the various ideas in the subtopics.
The evolving lessons give the users a slightly different experience each time
thus, more interesting. The activities and the storyline are well connected so that
the learner can get a sense of the main idea of the topic here. The key idea of
this module is on the subtopic 4.5 diffraction grating. The individual subtopics like
4.1 stationary waves, 4.2 diffraction, 4.3 interference and 4.4 two source
interference can be presented with simplified/easier examples to illustrate the
ideas of these concepts. In this web-based inquiry environment, learner takes
notes, discusses theories, and organizes their arguments, throughout the e-
Learning system.
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MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
4.1 Stationary waves
To promote learning of idea called superposition, users can generate waveforms
to be used to allow users to visualize the effects of waveforms when they
superposition with each other.
Figure 2: screenshot, showing blue wave (user controlled) and black wave (computer) and the resultant red wave (stationary if both waves are equal in frequency)
The computer will generate a simple waveform that starts from the right and
travels to the left, towards the user. In order to play this game, the learner has to
select the same waveform to be generated on the left travelling to the right, so
that the two waves will meet and superposition with each other. When the two
waves are identical, a resultant stationary wave is formed. At higher levels of the
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Resultant wave which is stationary
Progressive wave travelling to the right
Progressive wave travelling to the left
Controls to manipulate wave1 and 2
Menu bar to save, record, add text, etc
Library of activities creating by other users on waves Chat line for discussion and collaborative activities
Tips, help, knowledge mediator a click away
Multi users in the same room exploring together or independently
MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
play, complex waveforms can be generated by the computer, to be matched by
the learner.
In the game’s “bonus” round, the learner is guided to answer some thinking
questions, relating to the learning objectives, on the differences between the
original travelling waves generated and the resultant stationary wave. Tips are
available in the form of text, audio and video, to aid the learning process.
Figure 3: screenshot, showing transverse travelling (A) and transverse stationary (B) wave longitudinal travelling (C) and longitudinal stationary (D) wave
This shows the connectivity of the ideas of stationary wave to its components
(continuous progressive waves of same type and equal amplitude and
frequency). Learner can revisit this lesson, to be awarded higher “levels” etc.
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Figure 5: Zoom-in Screenshot, showing line source wave emitting wave of wavelength through an aperture, to observe diffraction
In an assessment based form of diffraction, the learner can also vary the width of
the obstacle gap in an applet, and observe the spreading of the wave again.
Diffraction is observable if the gap width, a is smaller or comparable to the
wavelength, l. (i.e. a »l)
4.3 Interference
Interference is the change in amplitude of resultant wave when waves meet at a
point. The conditions for constructive and destructive interference are
1. The wave sources must have the same or roughly equivalent amplitude.
2. The waves must be coherent (a constant phase).
3. Transverse waves must be un-polarized or be polarized in the same
plane.
It is an opportunity of collaborative kind of learning because to formulate these
ideas on their own would be a too open ended question to be answered by an
individual. Some learner can collaboratively explore the conditions for
interference pattern to be observed through the use of a super java applet and
hypermedia information sources to scaffold their investigations. Refer to Figure 2
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a
MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
for the setup, the activity are add-ons to that, connecting understanding on
previously learnt knowledge.
Figure 6: Contextual screenshot, showing 3D ripple tank setup emitting water wave
Figure 7: Zoom-in screenshots, showing the part of actual applet with scaffolds that fades in and out (Nodal lines and Anti nodal lines) on the left, and the calculation of points with constructive interference and destructive interference
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Water Tank
Dipper, S1
Dipper, S2
Antinodal lines
Nodal lines
l
n=0
n=1
n=2
n=1.5
n=0.5
n=1
n=1.5
n=0.5
MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
To demonstrate constructive and destructive interference, a water ripple tank is
used. The two sources are initially in phase and when animation is paused,
visual tips like nodal lines and anti nodal lines are drawn to aid analysis. After
that, knowledge previously learnt on constructive and destructive interference will
appear in the applet itself with the rest of the applet fading out, to bring the
learner attention to the constructive and destructive calculation. The concept of
path difference between source S1 to point P and source S2 to point P is 3l - 3l
= 0l, results in constructive interference. Point Q has path difference of 4l - 3l =
1l, and point R has path difference of 5l - 3l = 2l, which are all examples of
constructive interferences.
The learner will discover when the path difference is 0,l 2l, 3l….constructive
interference occurs.
Similar activities for destructive interference with points S and T, is for practise
purposes. The Path difference between source S1 to S and S2 to S is 2.5l - 2l =
0.5l and path difference between source S1 to T and S2 to T is 3.5l - 2l = 1.5l,
which leads to the discovery when the path difference is 0.5l, 1.5l, 2.5l,
3.5l….destructive interference occurs.
This activity is complex visually, thus a face to face computer laboratory lesson in
school is recommended before using it as a homework activity.
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MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
4.4 Two-source interference patterns
Figure 8: Zoom-in screenshot, showing 3D simulations of Young’s double slit experiment.
Figure 9: Zoom-in screenshot, showing 2D simulations of Young’s double slit experiment with variables.
A 2 and 3 dimensional virtual environment can be used here to allow learner to
explore this Young’s double slits experiment. Learner can setup the experiment
to explore the source (monochromatic light, single wavelength), use of the first
single slit, use of the double slits, the screen.
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3D- view
MID 816 Conceptual Design Project Wee Loo Kang
Use of this formula
Where = wavelength of monochromatic light
= double-slit separation
= fringe spacing
= distance between double slit and screen
The formula above can be easily visualised in the applet when n=1, »
when the angle is small.
In the 2D view, the simulation is simplified for the learning.
Figure 10: Screenshot, showing 2D simulations of Young’s double slit experiment with variables
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