Simulation of the RC circuit connected to a battery.
Type of Material:
Lecture/Demo, Simulation
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Demonstrate the basic characteristics of a RC circuit.
Target Student Population:
High School, introductory physics (undergrad)
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic understanding of capacitors and DC circuits.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The qualitative characteristics of a RC circuit are represented very well as the capacitor in the circuit is charged and discharged.
Concerns:
Most introductory textbooks usually only display the current and charge versus time graphs. This simulation only allows for the voltage-time graphs. It would be nice to see the other graphs.
General Comments on Quality: Overall the quality of this simulation is good. The theory explanation (and the confusing symbol characters) should be left totally out. These seem to added as an after thought, and are not necessary to meet the goals of this tool. Making it easy for authors to download and host the applet locally would allow for customized support material.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Recommended Use(s) for Material: Great for demonstration in the classroom and laboratory.
The current flow simulation is very effective in demonstrating current flow . The bar chart representation of the voltages is particularly effective.
Concerns:
Use(s) Material is not Suited For: Interactive problem-solving, since the circuit values are hard-coded into the animation.
The discussion is written in broken English.
There is a discussion of Kirchoff's laws that seems more focused on conveying the algorithmic details of the applet program.
The applet starts in a state that produces no animation when the start button is clicked. When the shorting switch is clicked, the animation starts immediately - i.e. clicking the switch also has the effect of clicking the start button.
General Comments on Effectiveness: This is a nice illustration of RC circuit behavior. It would be very useful as a demonstration.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The bar graphs are very effective at illustrating transient voltage behavior. The current flow is illustrated in an innovative way that does not involve a plot.
Concerns:
Pressing "Reset" during the animation actually only stops. You must click again to Reset. Then, the Stop/Start button still says "stop" even though the animation is already stopped. You must at this point click the Stop/Start button twice to restart the animation. Most folks will figure this out, but it is annoying.
You cannot obtain plots of current vs. time or of charge vs. time for the capacitor.
The associated discussion is tedious to read and somewhat irrelevant to the student learning goals.
Creative Commons:
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