ThermoLab is a thermodynamics simulator designed to introduce the Vapor Dome using a familiar Piston-Cylinder scenario. The simulation allows students to view a 3-dimensional graph of pressure, volume, and temperature while manipulating the cylinder properties, to gain a situated intuition for their relationships.
We teamed up with professor emeritus and researcher John Pfotenhauer, to create a digital simulation for teaching undergraduate thermodynamics. The simulation, which can be played in VR or via a standard web browser, allows players to explore equations of state in a hands-on, tactile way.
Explore the world of thermodynamics by conducting experiments using a water-based piston-cylinder apparatus. The simulation allows users to control a collection of tools: a bunsen burner, cooling coils, weights, stops, and environmental controls, to develop an intuitive understanding of thermodynamic processes. Players can choose to engage with the system in an open sandbox mode or through a series of labs that walk them through the key constructs associated with thermodynamics. The labs, which are each focused on a key concept, include: Properties and Regions, Boundaries and Points of Interest, and Cycles and Processes.
ThermoLAB was created in collaboration with John Pfotenhauer (Professor Emeritus) in the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. The content development team was John Pfotenhauer, Arganthaël Berson, Amelia Moser, and David Gagnon. Additional thanks goes to the subject expertise team including Jonathan Aurand, Ana Dyreson, Joonsik Hwang, Kenneth Katz, Sastry Pamidi and Venkata Avinash Paruchuri for their input on the design.
UW College of Engineering’s Education Innovation Award
National Science Foundation IUSE #2142103
