I am planning to create
one or more DH projects in MAE 213-Electrical Circuit Course under the category
of simulations and visualizations in spring I, 2014. The objective of these
projects is to use virtual lab called ‘Multisim’ software simulation to solve
electric circuit problems that require computer simulations/animations and visualization
will increase student’s understanding of electric circuit theories and concepts.
What a neat idea. It seems to me that simulations and visualizations will help students see and understand electric circuits and understand the theory in ways they might not be able to with traditional circuit boards (or, worse, with little more than photos in a textbook). The "hands-on" nature of such an activity should engage students on an entirely different level. I'll be interested to hear how this works in your class.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa
DeleteThank you for your comments. yes, it is not traditional circuit board.
It is a virtual lab. Multisim is a wide-ranging circuit analysis program that allows for the design, analysis, visualization, and simulation of electrical and electronic circuits. It offers an enormous component database, schematic entry, analog/digital circuit simulation, and other characteristics such as faultless transfer to printed circuit board (PCB) layout packages. A major characteristic of Multisim is the schematic diagram is created on the screen using a mouse and windows options. One of the most valuable characteristics of Multisim is that the source excitation and instrumentation functions closely parallel those of a basic electronics laboratory, and the procedures used in obtaining data are similar to those of the “real world.” Hence, it closely approaches the concept of an ideal “virtual laboratory”.
Students can build and simulate circuits with the Multisim software, learn how to construct complex circuits with various components, and verify the circuit design. For example, students need to calculate the current and voltage going through resistance (R) in the circuit. First, students can analyze the problem by hand calculation and then construct the circuit using Multisim in a similar way to what they would do at a real laboratory. As with a real circuit, multimeter must be placed in parallel to measure voltage across R, while ammeters must be placed in series to measure current across R. After simulating their circuit, students can also verify their hand calculation using Multisim.