A teaching concept for school experiments on radioactivity using augmented reality methods

Abstract

Digital media are becoming increasingly influential in society, especially among the younger generation. Therefore, an augmented reality (AR) app was developed that simulates experiments with radioactive sources. The app runs experiments on the range and penetration power of alpha, beta and gamma radiation. It assigns virtual radiation sources, shielding materials or a detector to printed image markers, and superimposes their 3D images on the camera image. Alpha, beta and gamma radiation are clearly distinguishable by choosing different visualizations. The detector displays the measured count rates. At school, the app can be used in different ways. A concept for a teaching unit in Grade 10 was developed and tested in several classes based on a prototype of the app. The learning progress from the AR experiments was examined. Furthermore, an evaluation of the app was carried out. The most recent version of the app can be found here: https://seafile.projekt.uni-hannover.de/d/dd033aaaf5df4ec18362/.