Visualising Relativity Using Virtual Reality (original) (raw)

Positive student effect: confidence increased, students enjoyed themselves and want to learn more about special relativity”. These words at the beginning of the research report indicated a positive learning experience had taken place for both internal and external students studying special relativity. A computer program, Real Time Relativity, developed at the Australian National University, by Lachlan McCalman, Antony Searle, Craig Savage and Michael Williamson, was given to students studying Special Relativity at Murdoch University in Western Australia. The students were asked to “play the game” and the effectiveness of their play was judged with pre and post game surveys. Comments and lab notes showed that their understanding of the scale and effects of special relativity deepened as they developed their own visual models. It also appears that the game experience worked as well for students studying by correspondence, as it did for oncampus students. Introduction The computer prog...