Designing an open-ended simulation tool for special relativity education at the secondary level

Abstract

We report the design and first evaluation of an open-ended simulation tool for special relativity education at the secondary level. The simulation tool, named Relativity Lab, is aimed at supporting students in performing and evaluating thought experiments, by constructing simulations from scratch and viewing the outcomes from different frames of reference. We performed a usability test (N=11) in which students were asked to perform thought experiments in a predict-observe-explain format. Preliminary findings indicate that students are able to construct simulations correctly and that the session helped them to imagine thought experiments more clearly.