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# Project Links:
Hypermedia Modules for
Introductory Electricity and Magnetism

## Invited Talk, AAPT Summer Meeting, San Antonio

## Michael Malak

## Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

## August 5, 1999

## Abstract

Rensselaer has used the Project Links Web-based modules on electricity and magnetism in Studio Physics 2 for the last two years. These modules are delivered via the World-Wide Web to students in the studio classroom. They include hypertext, animations, spreadsheets, and interactive illustrations in the form of Java applets. Module topics include electric fields, Gauss's law, potential, circuits, magnetic fields, Ampere's law, Faraday's law, and geometrical optics, as well as developments of more mathematical topics such as gradient, flux, and circulation. This talk will discuss how these modules have been used in class and integrated into the highly interactive studio format of instruction.

Supported in part by NSF grant #DUE-9552465.

## Studio Physics Summary

- Combined lecture/recitation/lab
- Highly interactive
  - Professor and TAs walk around and help
- Integrated use of computers

## Computer Use in Studio Physics

- Data Collection
- Video Labs
- Maple
- Excel
- WWW/HTML/Java

## Why use the Web?

- The World-Wide Web uses a client/server model
- One copy of a document is kept on a server and is downloaded by the students as needed
- Updating is easy

## Web advantages and disadvantages

### Advantages

- HTML, Java, and browsers are commonly available and free
- HTML is simple to write
- Browsers can handle multimedia

### Disadvantages

- Mathematical text is tricky
- Not interactive

## What is a "module"?

A module is a linked set of hypermedia documents discussing subtopics of one overall topic.

A module is comparable to a chapter of a book, in breadth if not in depth.

## What does a module contain?

A module's pages may contain

- Text
- Pictures
- Animations and video
- 3-D Illustrations
- Interactive Illustrations (applets)
- Links to spreadsheet or symbolic math exercises
- Links to resources at other sites

Often a module is built around a particular applet.

## How is a module organized?

A module is laid out as follows:

1. Overview and Objectives
2. Background and Prerequisites
3. Workshop

- Concepts (theory and motivation)
- Discovery (demonstrations)
- Applications
- Collaboration (in-class assignment)
- Practice (assignment)

4. Follow-up

## How is a module used?

We use these modules in Studio Physics 2 as part of the in-class work. A module is generally one day's worth of work.

Not every module is used in its entirety, especially if there is already a laboratory experiment about its topic.

## Example: Electric Field

1. Students listen to mini-lecture about electric fields (E = k q/r2).
2. Students work through two pages of simple examples
   (one charge, two charge, red charge, blue charge,...).
3. Students do hidden-charge in-class exercise.

## Example: Gauss's Law

1. Students listen to mini-lecture about flux and Gauss's Law ( = q/0).
2. Students work through examples:
   charged sphere, line charges, cylinder charges,...
3. Students work through spreadsheet exercise, and/or
4. Students do hidden-source in-class exercise.

## Applets

- Field Explorer
  - Electric Field
  - Magnetic Field
  - Generic Field (for calculus)
- Spherical Gauss's Law Applet
- Circuits and Circuit Elements
  - Variable Resistor
  - Compound Resistor
  - Variable Capacitor
  - RLC Circuit
- Snell's Law Applet
- Optical Bench

## Tour!

- All modules
- Electric Fields
- Gauss's Law