Peer Review

Georg Simon Ohm and the Electrical Resistance

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Reviewed:: Jan 15, 2022 by Engineering

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This video describes the history of Gerge Ohm and the development of the electrical resistance concept. It shows that this result was achieved after a thorough experimental research. The video describes the most relevant issues in the life of G. S. Ohm which conditioned his discovery.
Type of Material:: Animation (Video)
Recommended Uses:: This video can be presented in a science class to engage in discussion after watching it. It can also be used as recommended complementary material or just as a recreational activity. It could be recommended for courses on history of technology as well as on electricity courses in electrical and electronics engineering degrees.
Technical Requirements:: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers were used to access the material. It seems that all facilities are active for any browser.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The major learning goal is to present the history of science/engineering. By watching this video a person can learn to appreciate science and be motivated to respect it. It teaches Ohm's Law, voltages, currents and resitances/resistors. The video is addressed to engineers and students of engineering degrees interested in learning about the development of historical facts and laws of electricity.
Target Student Population:: This material can be used with Middle School, High School and College (both Upper and Lower Divisions). Professionals will enjoy and learn too.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Basic knowledge of physics.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The historical circumstances of the discovery of the Ohm’s Law are clearly explained in the video. The video is of high quality. The scenario is well taylored, the historical context is clearly presented and the outside views are very good. The contents are clearly presented and are precise. The parallel between electrons flow and water flow is important since water flow is more intuitive. The video presents the scientific life of G. S. Ohm and the influence of social and cultural factors involved in the professional development of scientists. It highlights how discovery in science and technology is conceived as a social task, combining actual knowledge and cultural and social behavior of the existing society. It also shows rigorously how the scientific method works, far from the myth of the isolated and brilliant genius, sometimes built for propaganda policy.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The material has the potential of stimulating Middle and High School students in pursuing a STEM carreer. As far as higher education students are concerned, it is important to yield the understanding that our current stage of development in science/engineering has been build on the work of intelligent, skilled and dedicated scientists and engineers. This is something that can be shared by the general public. This video intuitively introduces concepts so that hey can be understood. It is important to help establish relations between the real world and its mathematical representarion. This material can be included in the syllabus of a course and the instructor can implement quizes about its contents.
Concerns:: As corresponds to video materials, to become useful for effective learning it should be combined with extra exercises and quizzes, or to become integral part of additional lectures on the topic of electricity in history.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The video is a standalone material, easy to use. Only connection to the Internet and link to the video repository is needed. It can be reproduced in computer, iPad and smartphone. Visual design of the video corresponds to the concept of documentary film, representing historical facts by means of actors, pictures of antique instruments, publications and drawings.
Concerns:: As corresponds to video materials, limited interactivity. It is not accessible to the blind and may difficult to be used by the visually impaired. Though it is captioned (in Portuguese), deaf persons will miss the beautiful music in the sound track.

Other Issues and Comments:: The video is addressed to engineers and students of engineering degrees interested in learning about the history of the electricity Laws. It covers addresses the discovery of the Ohm’s Law by means of the history of G. S. Ohm, the German scientist. The video shows the description of the machines used by G. S. Ohm to carry out his experiments, following a rigorous scientific method. It highlights how discovery in science and technology is conceived as a social task, combining actual knowledge and cultural and social behavior of the existing society. This approach is very illustrative of what the engineer role in society is. The video that is linked to the MERLOT database is captioned in Portuguese.
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