Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Here's an example: When you think of the term “parabola,” what comes to
your mind? If you truly understand the concept of a parabola, you will at once
think of a polynomial equation, or perhaps a geometric curve, a concentrat-
ing mirror, and maybe even the surface of a spinning liquid. These multiple
representations—analytical, geometrical, optical and physical—all relate to
the word parabola and a person with true mastery will see the connection
between them all. But if you thought of only one of these, then you probably
haven't yet mastered the concept fully.
One of the most powerful aspects of transforming a digital design into a
real, physical object is the act of reinforcing abstract knowledge into differ-
ent mediums. Knowledge contained in a design ile is virtual, captured in a
digital medium. Knowledge becomes physical after it's printed. Design tools
and 3D printing shine as tools that challenge students to depict a concept or
process in a new medium.
Now let's see you draw that abstract
equation on a graph
People are familiar with the value of using a visual medium to clarify a complex
abstract topic. Many of us are equally comfortable with the notion that the
best way to enforce new knowledge learned from a topic is to apply it to solve
a practical, real-world problem. One reason 3D printing is a valuable educa-
tional tool is that it brings an additional physical dimension to the teaching
and learning of abstract concepts.
For example, in the Fab@School's “Make to Learn” lesson, kinetic energy
was deined as “the energy possessed by a system or object that is the result
of its motion, and that increases as the object gets faster, or is larger.” Such a
written description is one way to present the concept. An additional medium
to reinforce the concept was provided when students designed and made a
windmill and placed it in front of a fan to light up an electronic circuit.
When Dave While led students in a geology class through the 3D printing
process, they journeyed through several different mediums. First, students
studied data that numerically depicted the shape of the mountain's surface
(data is one medium to describe a volcano's shape). One dataset depicted the
volcano's shape before the eruption, another after. Next, students translated the
raw topographic data into a working design ile (digital is another medium).
Finally, students printed out mini-replicas of Mount St. Helens after it erupted
(the physical medium).
Search WWH ::




Custom Search