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Motion in the Ocean: Waves and Optics in a 3D Virtual Environment
5/30/2003
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| Figure 1: The WEBTOP Waves module simulating the interference of the waves in a ripple tank caused by two small oscillating plungers at the back end of the tank. |
The last 20 years has been a transformative period in the field of optics. In that time, an amazing array of technologies have spawned and entered the life of each of us, from fiber optics to optical scanners, digital cameras, CDs, and laser eye surgery, to name a few. Yet new research holds the promise for producing even more break-through tools and technologies, including the trapping and cooling of atoms with laser beams; the resolution of individual atoms on surfaces; optical sensors for diabetes; and perhaps even a quantum computer whose performance will greatly exceed that of current machines.
It makes sense then that science and engineering students should learn optics thoroughly so as to understand important current technologies, to create exciting new ones, and to do the basic research needed to go further on the optics journey. The goal of The Optics Project on the Web (WebTOP) is to help them do this.
WebTOP is a three-dimensional, interactive computer graphics system developed at Mississippi State University to help students learn about waves and optics. It has been used to help teach undergraduate introductory physics and junior/senior level optics courses and is currently made up of 16 modules spanning eight different subject areas: waves, geometrical optics, reflection and refraction, polarization, interference, diffraction, lasers, and scattering.
The simulations in WebTOP are 3D, allowing the user to view the simulation from any point of view. The user can move the scene, zoom into a particular location, and adjust the viewing angle. They are also interactive, with the parameters of the simulation elements easily accessible from within the scene. The user can position the mouse cursor over the element and manipulate the provided widgets to change the corresponding parameter value. The user can also change the parameters by typing desired values into the text entry boxes. Depending on the simulation, the user can also collect either qualitative or quantitative data to verify his or her assumptions. In addition, the simulations are animated, allowing the user to view the time progression of the phenomenon.
VCR-type controls allow the user to record his or her interaction with the simulation for later retrieval and viewing. Each interaction is recorded as a line in an XML file (a script) with a corresponding time stamp. The script can then be later loaded into the module and played. Each interaction is then reproduced at the appropriate time. Like in a VCR, the user can pause, stop, and replay a script. The scripts are human-readable and can be easily modified with a text editor. This is particularly useful when a user wants to set up an intricate situation involving many simulation elements, or when a user wants to "clean up" a previously recorded script. A script can also be used as a parameter for setting up a Web page that invokes a module. When used as such, the script defines the initial state of the module.
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