Simulating chaos: an evaluation of the driven pendulum experiment

Abstract

Computer simulations offer opportunities for learners by providing a model of a realistic situation for them to manipulate. At the Open University we have many years of experience of helping learners to use such simulations in physics teaching, and evaluating the results (see, for example, Every and Scanlon, 1984). We present here an account of an attempt to use a computer simulation to help beginning students of physics to learn about chaos.