# Explaining Nature Without Words

Visualizations in Physics and Science from Ancient Times to Virtual Reality

## An overview

• Some generalizations about people and the world that I have little supporting evidence for, but seem legit.
• A brief history of science visualization
• Science sims at CCNY
• The future

## Nature

Nature is messy.

### Prediction

Why? So we can predict the future.

## Mode of Communication

### Math

The book of nature is written in the language of mathematics.

- Galileo

### Visual Communications

What we learn merely through the ear makes less impression upon our minds than what is presented to the trustworthy eye.

- Horace, ca. 20 BC

Eidos in Greek became idea

Imagination -> image

### Visual Thinking

• Einstein: what would it look like if I ran next to a light wave?
• Faraday: Electric Fields permeate space.
• Newton's Principia: Geometric Figures, not $F = ma$.
• ## Examples from Ancient Times

### A Babylonian Tablet

c. 1900-1700 BC

### Other Geometrical Figures

Nicole Oresme

### Bivariate Plot

In 1686, E. Halley plotted barometric pressure vs. altitude. A theoretical curve based on observations.

## Abstract Graphical Representations

That by means of centripetal forces the planets may be retained in certain orbits, we may easily understand, if we consider the motions of projectiles; for a stone that is projected is by the pressure of its own weight forced out of the rectilinear path, which by the initial projection alone it should have pursued, and made to describe a curved line in the air; and through that crooked way is at last brought down to the ground; and the greater the velocity is with which it is projected, the farther it goes before it falls to the earth. We may therefore suppose the velocity to be so increased, that it would describe an arc of 1, 2, 5, 10, 100, 1000 miles before it arrived at the earth, till at last, exceeding the limits of the earth, it should pass into space without touching it.
-Newton, System of the World

J. C. Maxwell's Thermodynamic Surface, 1874

## Visualizations of Experimental Data

#### Star Map

Dunhuang Star Chart, ~ 700 AD

### Microscope

#### Sometimes we are deceived

Nicolaas Hartsoeker (26 March 1656, Gouda – 10 December 1725, Utrecht) Dutch Mathematician and Physicist.

### SPM

Iron Atoms on Copper surface (1993)

### Weather

E. Halley (again) First Weather Map. 1686

## Visuals for Learning

### Sims for Basic (and advanced) Physics

What's a sim?

A sim uses animations or other visuals to represent physical phenomenon or concepts.

### The Technology

There are many, many sims out there. (Why do we need any more?)

### P5.js

     
function setup () {

\\inside this part goes things we need it to do once

}


     
function draw() {

\\inside this part goes things we need it to do over and over

}



### Example: Basic Kinematics

Let's make a bouncy ball

#### Something's not quite right

We plot the position of the ball as a function of time.

000
10.51
22.03
34.56
48.010
512.515

#### What is acceleration?

Acceleration implies a change in velocity.

Def. of velocity: $$v = \frac{dx}{dt}$$ or $$x = \int v \;dt = \textrm{area under v(t) curve}$$

#### Wrong


x += v;
v += a;
ellipse(x,height/2,10,10);


#### Right


x += averageVelocity;
v += a;
ellipse(x,height/2,10,10);


### Science.js

We're building a library of useful science objects.

• Motion objects
• Forces
• Springs
• Graphs
• Optics
• Fields

### The goal

1. Build sims for learning
sciencesims.com

2. Learn physics by building sims.

“If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”

- Many people

## Virtual Reality

#### What cool?

3d immersive space.

Phones can run these.

#### What's not cool?

1. Coding is a wee bit harder
2. Hardware is still a wee bit expensive.
3. Too many wires.

## The future??

### Refs.

Available upon request.