IGasES: Ideal Gas Educational Simulation



IGasES is an open-source educational simulation for the teaching and learning of the First Law of Thermodynamics (FLT) for ideal gases. It addresses upper secondary school students and university beginners. It integrates four levels:
  1. The tags of the names and short explanations of four thermodynamic processes: isothermal, isochoric, isobaric, and adiabatic. The tag is chosen with a single click.
  2. The digital representation of the above processes with the selection of expansion/compression or heating/cooling depending on the process (chosen by a single click). In order for the phenomenon to evolve, click the Play button (upright).
  3. The energy chain model of the selected process, which is a graphic representation of the energy changes the system undergoes. This field appears by clicking the Arrow button, down and left on the screen. In order for the energy chain to evolve, click the Play button (upright).
  4. The mathematical formula of the FLT (chosen by a single click, if not selected already), which allows calculations. This field appears by clicking the Arrow button, up and left on the screen.
IGasES is a user-friendly physics educational simulation, therefore we believe that there is no need for further instruction in order to run it successfully. However, as a minimum scaffolding measure, error messages appear on the screen whenever the process selection and the inserted values are not compatible nor complete.
In case there are questions on IGasES we will be happy to answer them through posted messages on this blog or via e-mail. Also, feedback on the simulation use is very welcome.

Since Flash no longer works on browsers, you can run the simulation file (swf) on a free desktop flash player app (windows and mac). We are currently re-developing the simulation to have it working on browsers again.

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