This column describes the use of computer graphics as a teaching tool. At MIT, the course Physics 8.02 has a high enrollment, but it is one of the more difficult classes for students because of the non-intuitive nature of electromagnetism. In order to properly demonstrate the phenomena, Professor John Belcher developed a series of short videos with animation and text of selected experiments. He emphasizes that "the power of animation in explaining electromagnetism can only be appreciated by viewing sample animations." You can find examples of these animations at http://web.mit.edu/jbelcher/www/anim.html This article is reprinted from the SIGGRAPH 2000 Educators Program.
/lp/association-for-computing-machinery/mit-educators-share-success-00yVvSskCl