Learning scenario for a 3D virtual environment: the case of Special Relativity

Abstract

International audienceSpecial Relativity, as introduced by Einstein, is regarded as one of the most important revolutions in the history of physics. Nevertheless, the observation of direct outcomes of this theory on mundane objects is impossible because they can only be witnessed when travelling at relative speeds approaching the speed of light c. These effects are so counterintuitive and contradicting with our daily understanding of space and time that physics students find it hard to learn special relativity beyond mathematical equations and to understand the deep implications of the theory. Although we cannot travel at the speed of light, Virtual Reality (VR) makes it possible to experiment the effects of relativity in a 3D immersive environment (a CAVE: Cave Automatic Virtual Environment). The use of the immersive environment is underpinned by the development of dedicated learning scenarios created through a dialectic between VR-related computational constraints and cognitive constraints that include students' difficulties

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