EDUMAT, A MULTIMEDIAL COURSE ON MATERIALS SCIENCE

by R. Fieschi, O. Tommasi, M. Bianucci, P. Mangiarotti

ISTITUTO NAZIONALE PER LA FISICA DELLA MATERIA ( INFM )

The aim of the course is to provide users the interpretative key to the numerous properties of materials. It is intended primarily as a “self-study” course for high school graduates or undergraduate students. EDUMAT has been developed using all the potentialities offered by modern personal computers. Typical multimedial features such as graphics or sound, have been extensively used as well as computational capacity, which, given the scientific character of the course, turned out to be extremely useful. EDUMAT has been endowed with a graphic interface which has been designed for an easy and efficient use. The typical multimedial facilities allow links between different topics connected by means of key words; moreover, the text has been supplied with many figures, graphs, tables, schemes and pictures. An important role in the explanation of those arguments which result particularly difficult to non experts is carried out by animations. These animations are divided in two distinct categories: movies and interactive simulations. They have complementary roles. The movies are basically cartoons with synchronized audio and are generally used to introduce a physical concept or to explain technical processes to build up devices or materials. They certainly represent the best of the explanatory capacities offered by the course and have a key role in the illustration of “dynamical” concepts or effects, like for example the Hall effect. Furthermore, thanks to their entertaining character, they help to make the course more enjoyable. Two examples are shown in Figs. 1 and 2

Fig1: The trans and cis metastable equilibrium positions in the polyethylene molecule

Fig2: The photolithograhyc process

The interactive simulations are used to get a deeper knowledge of concepts which have been already analyzed in the text. These are interactive applications that allow the user to change the parameters which characterize a given physical system and to observe the effects of his actions. The interactive simulations are essentially applications that simulate, by means of simplified mathematical models, real physical systems; the response of the system to the chosen set of parameters is immediate allowing in this way a great number of different situations. By means of the interactive simulations the user can “experience” and reach a deeper understanding of the argument under study (Figs. 3 and 4).

Fig3: The tunnel effect

Fig4: the electron density of states of semiconductor materials

An important role in the structure of the course is carried out by the section VirtuaLab that deals with optical and electrical properties of materials. With the program VirtuaLab it is possible to realize virtual experiments handling, moving and connecting virtual instruments and virtual samples on a virtual workbench. Each instruments is provided with its own rules, corresponding to the real operation, and with controls which allow different settings. VirtuaLab is a powerful tool that allows each user to “experience” a physical measurement and to exercise the experimental techniques illustrated in the course (Fig. 5).

Fig5: An optical experiment with the virtual laboratory

Finally, EDUMAT is provided with a series of multiple-choice questions and problems which are intended to give to the user the opportunity to verify the level of his understanding and to carry out simple calculations himself. All the answers of the multiple-choice questions, wrong or corrected, are commented, while all the calculations of the problems are completely worked out. An example is shown in Fig. 6.

Fig6: An example of interactive exercise

All these features give to EDUMAT the distinct aspect of a “self-study” course which can be used in completely autonomous way. Nevertheless, it is obvious that it can also be used by teachers who wish to have a powerful working tool.

Scientific contents

Chapter 1: DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS IN THE HYSTORY OF CIVILISATION

provides an historical introduction to Material Science and gives the users the first rudiments on the subject. The history of the main discoveries, the descriptions of the early use and production of the materials throughout the development of the civilization from prehistory to nowadays and a gradual introduction to the physical properties of materials are briefly illustrated.

Chapters 2 - 4: THE ATOMIC STRUCTURE OF MATTER, PRINCIPLES OF MECHANICS, SOLID STATE PHYSICS

contain a brief review of Classical Physics, the introduction to the most important concepts of Quantum Mechanics and the basic elements of Solid State Physics. The presentation and the development of the latter arguments have been especially tailored to the level of knowledge of the users of the course (namely high school graduates and undergraduate students) and therefore this chapter results the fundamental tool to understand the numerous physical properties of materials. Herein, we give only a general discussion while specific physical aspects are analyzed in details in the chapters dedicated to the materials.

Chapters 5 - 6: STRUCTURAL MATERIALS, POLYMERIC MATERIALS

are dedicated to materials mainly used for their mechanical properties:iron alloys, alloys of aluminium and copper, ceramic materials, composite materials, polymers. The development of Structural Materials had always a rather empirical character. Time and the progress of science did not modify too much this scenario and, as a consequence, these Chapters have a rather descriptive character. Nevertheless, Physics, and especially topics like atomic structure of matter, remain the essential frame of reference throughout the Chapters and they are used as the basic tools to understand the main properties of these materials.

Chapter 7: FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS

describes those materials that are important for their electrical and magnetic properties, and that, in some sense, are active, i.e., "do something": semiconductors, magnetic materials, superconductors, optical materials, liquid crystals. For functional materials the situation is totally different from that of structural materials . The astonishing developments in the field of materials and electronic devices can be accounted for only with the deeper understanding of the electronic properties of matter and, more generally, with the progress of modern physics (Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics etc.). It is thus necessary to use a less descriptive approach to the subject, and consequently the user is forced to exploit extensively the concepts and the results discussed in previous Chapters. The functional materials have been divided in 5 sub-groups, this choice is probably too drastic since several materials belong neither to one nor to the other sub-group. Nevertheless, the possibility of connecting different parts of the course by means of hypertext links, allows the user to overcome easily this difficulty and gives to the chapter an unitary structure.

Chapter 8: INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT METHODS

shows and describes the experimental techniques and the most relevant instruments used in the analysis of the material properties. Here we discuss also the physical principles underlying the different techniques, their potentialities and their relative limitations. The sections of this Chapter dedicated to the electrical and optical experimental techniques are deeply connected with the section of the course VirtuaLab which is described in details in the following.

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