Aplicação dos simuladores virtuais no ensino de óptica geométrica para o ensino medio.

Abstract

Geometric optics is an area of optics that studies light as it propagates through a medium. Such physical and mathematical knowledge is found in virtual simulators, which help in understanding this abstract knowledge. Virtual simulators are computational tools developed with the aim of instigating and supporting learning. The applications of using virtual simulators for teaching geometric optics in high school are varied, intertwined and/or distinct from each other. This work consists of bibliographical research of a qualitative nature, looking at works already created. The main purpose of this research is to analyze the main benefits that the application of virtual simulators bring to the teaching and learning of geometric optics content in high school. As a result, the application of the simulations available on the PHET platform proved to be beneficial, as their illustrations corroborated the explanation of the concepts related to the phenomena of reflection and refraction. The Vascak platform beneficially corroborates the equations found in the simulation interface, as it makes visible the relationship between the equations and the simulation. We consider that the application of virtual simulators brings playful benefits to the teaching and learning of geometric optics content, with ideal applications for the phenomena of reflection and refraction in high school.