Development of 3-D Mechanical Models of Electric Circuits and Their Effect on Students’ Understanding of Electric Potential Difference

Abstract

Visualizing physical concepts through models is an essential method in many sciences. While students are mostly proficient in handling mathematical aspects of problems, they frequently lack the ability to visualize and interpret abstract physical concepts in a meaningful way. In this paper, initially the electric circuits and related concepts were taught to tenth grade students traditionally, then, once more, only concepts of electric potential and electric potential difference were taught to them along with 3-D mechanical models of electric circuits developed by the author and finally the effectiveness of the models was assessed. A twelve-item achievement test was given to twenty-two female students from the tenth grade as pre-and post-tests to assess students’ comprehension of the concept of electrical potential. We showed that working and, more so interacting, with 3- D electrical circuits in a classroom-improved students’ understanding of the idea of electrical potential. Initial experience of using 3-D models of the electrical circuits in a high school physics course is also reported.