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Enhancing Student Understanding of Thermodynamic Principles Through 3D Visualization

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Conference

2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Location

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Publication Date

March 22, 2024

Start Date

March 22, 2024

End Date

March 23, 2024

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--45616

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/45616

Download Count

18

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Paper Authors

biography

Michael Patrick Hayes Michigan State University

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Michael Hayes is a PhD candidate at Michigan State University. His pedagogical interests include novel demonstration pieces and visualization techniques to make thermodynamics more accessible.

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Abstract

Many engineering students struggle to develop three-dimensional visualization skills. Such visualization plays a key role in a variety of undergraduate courses, including thermodynamics. The pressure-volume-temperature (P-v-T) surface is a foundational concept in the discipline. It provides a visual representation of the relationship between the three physical properties and serves as the cornerstone for understanding simple compressible systems. This study investigates whether utilizing three-dimensional P-v-T surface models in instruction makes the content more accessible to engineering students.

Participants in this investigation came from a flipped-classroom undergraduate thermodynamics course. Volunteers are divided into two groups. The control group receives the standard video instruction on P-v-T surfaces using traditional two-dimensional illustrations. The test group is presented with a video lecture featuring rotating three-dimensional figures. Aside from the P-v-T visualization techniques, the content between the two lectures remains the same. Following completion of the lesson, students in both groups complete a multiple-choice online survey to assess their understanding of key concepts.

While students who received the modified lesson had a higher average score on the post-lesson assessment than those who did not, there is not sufficient evidence to establish a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Students in the test group performed better on four out of the five survey questions as well, but once again statistical significance is not observed. A larger sample size is required to more rigorously assess the efficacy of the visualization techniques. Even so, the increasing accessibility of three-dimensional visualization software makes the models implemented in this study a viable option for undergraduate thermodynamics educators.

Hayes, M. P. (2024, March), Enhancing Student Understanding of Thermodynamic Principles Through 3D Visualization Paper presented at 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--45616

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