Looking Inside the Circuit: Understanding Electricity With an Augmented Circuit Exhibit

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Research on Innovations in Learning Technologies

Abstract

Electrical circuits are difficult to understand. Novices tend to have inadequate understandings of what happens at the level of atoms and electrons, leading to difficulty predicting
the outcomes of electrical circuits at the level of wires, resistors, and light bulbs. In this paper, we describe an augmented science museum exhibit that enables visitors to make circuits on an interactive tabletop and observe a simulation of electrons flowing through the circuit on a separate handheld device. We used augmented reality to couple the electron simulation with the circuit simulator. We then discuss findings from a pilot study with family visitors at a science museum that highlight the learning benefits of integrating an electron-level simulation into a circuit building environment.

Authors

• Elham Beheshti, Northwestern University

• Michael S. Horn, Northwestern University