A UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL GAME WITH INTERACTIVE TUTORIALS FOR LEARNING ABOUT ACCELERATORS, DETECTORS, AND PARTICLE PHYSICS

AN INNOVATIVE MULTIMEDIA GAME WILL BE DEVELOPED TO INTRODUCE PRECOLLEGE STUDENTS TO THE WORLD OF PARTICLE ACCELERATORS, PARTICLE DETECTORS, AND NUCLEAR AND ELEMENTARY PARTICLE PHYSICS. THE CONCEPT IS A FAST-MOVING GAME IN WHICH EACH PLAYER RIDES WITH A GROUP OF SUBATOMIC PARTICLES THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF AN ACCELERATOR. THE GAME ILLUSTRATES THE MOTION OF CHARGED PARTICLES IN ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS, SIMPLE HARMONIC OSCILLATIONS, REPULSIVE FORCES BETWEEN PARTICLES WITH THE SAME CHARGE, AND OTHER FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS CONCEPTS. ULTIMATELY, AS HIS OR HE2R BEAM HITS ITS INTENDED TARGET, A SPECTRUM OF PARTICLES IS CREATED AND THE PLAYER IS INTRODUCED TO THE ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND THE FUNDAMENTAL FORCES OF NATURE. AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THE GAME, OBSTACLES ARE INTRODUCED WHICH THE PLAYER MUST OVERCOME, IF THE BEAM IS TO BE SUCCESSFULLY ACCELERATED WITH ADEQUATE INTENSITY TO PRODUCE THE COLLISION EVENT RATE NEEDED TO DISCOVER A NEW ELEMENTARY PARTICLE. THE GAME ENDS WITH GRAPHIC EXPLODING IMAGES OF THE COLLISION EVENTS THAT THE STUDENT'S BEAM PRODUCES. THE NUCLEAR AND ELEMENTARY PARTICLES THAT HIS OR HER PLAY HAS CREATED, AND THE DETECTOR TECHNOLOGY USED TO OBSERVE THEM, ARE INTRODUCED. VIDEOS AND TUTORIALS OFFER THE STUDENT FURTHER INFORMATION AVENUES. A PROTOTYPE OF THE GAME WILL BE DEVELOPED, INCLUDING EXAMPLES OF SEVERAL TYPES OF INTERACTIVE TUTORIALS, DURING PHASE I. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CONCEPT AS A TEACHING AID WILL BE EVALUATED BY INTEGRATING THE PROTOTYPE GAME WITH THE CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION OF A PHYSICS COURSE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.