A Coriolis Demonstration Using a 3-D Interactive Computer Model of a Physical Demonstration
Abstract
The coriolis effect can be a difficult concept, particularly for large classes where the effectiveness of physical demonstrations is limited by visibility. We developed a fully interactive computer visualization aimed at introductory undergraduate and pre-college students based on the physical demonstration of a marble rolling across a turntable. The marble's velocity, turntable angular velocity and direction, and friction between the marble and the surface can be controlled to allow significant instructional flexibility. Pre and post-demonstration surveys indicate that the coriolis model helped students better understand the concept. This program is written in the free, open-source Python programming language, specifically with the VPython module, which makes three-dimensional, physically-based, real-time visualizations efficiently programmable for geoscience demonstrations by non-professional programmers.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2005
- Bibcode:
- 2005AGUFMED13C1164U
- Keywords:
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- 0845 Instructional tools;
- 4508 Coriolis effects