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The Physics Teacher -- March 2005 -- Volume 43, Issue 3, pp. 155-157

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Visualization Tool for 3-D Relationships and the Right-Hand Rule

Ngoc-Loan Nguyen and David E. Meltzer

Iowa State University, Ames, IA

The need to develop an understanding of spatial relationships in three dimensions is one of the major challenges faced by introductory physics students. It arises, for example, when grappling with three-dimensional coordinate systems and with the vector ("cross") product, when dealing with the concepts of torque and angular momentum, and perhaps most prominently when studying relationships involving magnetic fields and forces. A variety of so-called "right-hand rules" are important and widely used tools for working with such concepts. In this paper we describe a simple and inexpensive visualization tool that may be used to help learn and work with these important rules. ©2005 American Association of Physics Teachers

doi:10.1119/1.1869425
PACS: 01.50.Pa, 01.50.Qb        Additional Information

References

References

1. Thomas B. GreensladeJr., "Ancestors of the right-hand rule," Phys. Teach. 18, 669–670 (Dec. 1980). [SPIN]
   
2. "Photo of the month," Phys. Teach. 40, 115 (Feb. 2002).
   
3. Brother Columban Francis, "Vector visual aids," Phys. Teach. 5, 119–122 (March 1967).
   
4. Francis J. Wunderlich, Michael J. Hones, and Donald E. Shaw, "Three-dimensional vector demonstrator," Phys. Teach. 14, 232–233 (April 1976). [SPIN]
   
5. David J. Van Domelen, "Artificial right-hand rule device," Phys. Teach. 37, 500–501 (Nov. 1999).
   
6. It is interesting to compare this card to a device developed by Roget to achieve a similar objective. It was described by Noad in an early textbook and is illustrated in the article by Greenslade (Ref. 1, Fig. 3): Henry M. Noad, A Manual of Electricity (Lockwood and Co., London, 1859), p. 643.
   

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