Simulation of Gravitational Waves to Observe Relativity

Abstract

Educational and Scientific applications using simulations have been regarded as the most successful means of communicating a concept. These applications have been demonstrated that they engage students and the general public in exploring theories as much as traditional learning methods if not more. The approach followed by this thesis is to concentrate on having learners learn the same way that scientists conduct experiments. This approach can be well supported by interactive computer simulations, which has been widely researched and confirmed [25]. Incorporating design principles into conveying concepts in STEM education has been demonstrated to make computer simulations a more effective for learning. However, these principles of interactive simulations have not been implemented so far in exploring the complex physics topic of gravitational waves and observing relativity. In this research, we created a Unity based application, called “Virtual Interaction with Gravitational-wave to Observe Relativity (VIGOR),” that leverages the use of interactive simulation to help learners explore gravitational waves emitted by binary black holes and the factors that affect them. We tested the application’s efficacy and also compared the application to a VR-based application designed previously by the team.