Teaching sine wave concept through simulation for elementary school students

Abstract

In the Natural Science subject for elementary school, one learns about the waves topic which is derived material from sound energy. Students have been taught that waves have periods and frequencies, including the theoretical application of its application in real life. However, the teacher requires a high effort to explain it because it is quite complicated with a short teaching duration. With the help of information computer technology such as an EDA-based software tool, elementary school students can more quickly understand the sine wave material. This paper reveals on how to teach a sine wave material for children with the following topics, i.e., 1) fundamental concept; 2) the introduction of the instrumental tool; 3) introduction of the used Simulator, periods and frequencies measurement using Oscilloscope instruments; 4) Measurement example; and 5) Practicum. These topics are packaged in a new course outside formal schools. The Circuit Wizard simulator was chosen as a teaching tool; we hope to make abstract contents (ex. sine waves) more exact for children and serve many benefits to improve the teaching quality. This paper focuses on the output frequency measurement using Frequency Generator (FG) & analog Oscilloscope pair under the Circuit Wizard simulation. This course can be taken by 4th – 6th grade (10 – 12 years old children).