Peer Review

Air Pressure ~ Otto Von Guericke

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Reviewed:: Jul 27, 2021 by Engineering

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This video concerns the development of the force of atmospheric air discovered by Otto Von Guericke by means of the scientific biography of his author. The video describes the most relevant issues in the life of Otto Von Guericke which influenced his discovery.

Otto von Guericke (November 20, 1602 – May 11, 1686) was a German scientist, inventor, and politician. His major scientific achievements were the establishment of the physics of vacuums, the discovery of an experimental method for clearly demonstrating electrostatic repulsion, and his advocacy of the reality of "action at a distance" and of "absolute space". In 1654 von Guericke invented a vacuum pump consisting of a piston and an air gun cylinder with two-way flaps designed to pull air out of whatever vessel it was connected to, and used it to investigate the properties of the vacuum in many experiments. This pump is described in Chapters II and III of Book III of the Experimenta Nova and in the Mechanica Hydraulico-pneumatica (p. 445-6). Guericke demonstrated the force of air pressure with dramatic experiments. In 1657, he machined two 20-inch diameter hemispheres and pumped all the air out of them, locking them together with a vacuum seal. The air pressure outside held the halves together so tightly that sixteen horses, eight harnessed to each side of the globe, could not pull the halves apart. It would have required more than 4,000 pounds of force to separate them.

Type of Material:

Animation

Recommended Uses:

It could be recommended for courses on history of technology as well as on thermodynamic and fluid mechanics courses in any engineering degree. Useful for traditional and hybrid/blended teaching

Technical Requirements:

Chrome v 57 and Firefox were used to run the video.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The video is addressed to engineers and students of engineering degrees interested in learning about the development of historical facts and laws of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics.

This video helps to understand how the discovery of vacuum took place through the experiments of Otto von Guericke, and also to know how the first vacuum pump was developed. Also, the video shows how Otto von Guericke settled the concept of atmospheric pressure linked to the forecast.

Target Student Population:

High School, College Upper Division, Professional, First course Degrees.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Knowledge on physics at high school level.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The animations used in the video help to well understand how vacuum can be obtained, and how the first vacuum pump was developed.

The historical circumstances of the discovery of the force of atmospheric air and the is clearly explained in the video. The video presents the scientific life of Von Guericke 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, and the interaction between scientist to boost science progress. It reveals also the role played by scientific societies to give recognition of discoveries. The structure of contents is correct. The video summarizes quite well and accurately the discovery of the force of the atmospheric air.

Concerns:

The mutual dependende of pressure, volume and temperature has to be explained in order to help to understand how atmospheric pressure changes affect the forecast.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The major strength of this material is its presentation and length. These are the optimal to help students acquire concepts without boring.

The material could be used for self-learning as well as a supplementary material in traditional or blended/hybrid courses on history of technology. Also useful for basic courses on thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. The learning objectives are clearly stated.

Concerns:

Some relations between concepts (mutual dependence of pressure, volume and temperature) are not explained in the video, even in a brief way.

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 physics in history.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The material is appealing, and the format of video allows to stop or to come back on it to watch again if needed.

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.

Other Issues and Comments:: The video is addressed to engineers and students of engineering degrees interested in learning about the history of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics. It covers the discovery of the force of atmospheric air by means of the history of Otto Von Guericke. The video shows the description of the machines used by Von Guericke 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.
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