A Java based statics virtual laboratory as a support to the teaching of mechanics in technical degrees

Abstract

In this work a statics virtual laboratory is presented. This virtual laboratory is a set of different applets, tools based in Java, which allow the visualization of different physical laws in the field of statics. The applets have the advantage in that the student can dynamically interact with the computer, giving a useful tool for significance learning. In this work two applets are analyzed: the first one corresponds to an animation of a cantilever beam when a concentrated load of arbitrary value is applied at the free end. In this applet the diagrams of internal efforts and the elastica of the beam are drawn for different values of the length and weight of the beam and the value of the applied force. The other two applets shows an animation where the student can check the conditions of graphical equilibrium of three forces. In this applet the values of two forces are arbitrary changed by the user and the applet shows an animation where the third force is calculated by using the conditions of graphical equilibrium.