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The Wimshurst Machine

The Wimshurst Machine. Evaluation Process and Results Melanie Hopkins and Thomaie Hilaris. Content. MSI evaluation goals Brief presentation/explanation of Wimshurst Machine Sample Questionnaire Evaluation process: interviews Results Conclusions. MSI evaluation goals.

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The Wimshurst Machine

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  1. The Wimshurst Machine Evaluation Process and Results Melanie Hopkins and Thomaie Hilaris

  2. Content • MSI evaluation goals • Brief presentation/explanation of Wimshurst Machine • Sample Questionnaire • Evaluation process: interviews • Results • Conclusions

  3. MSI evaluation goals • Try to describe what MSI gave us as their evaluation goals. Make it short. • Summary: Visitors separate charge using historic Wimshurst static electricity machines that produces high voltage current by electrostatic induction. • Evaluation questions: Can people understand how it works? What contextual information (graphics or text) are most effective in promoting conceptual understanding?

  4. The Wimshurst Machine • Electrostatic generator • Static electricity: Friction vs. induction • Comparison to lightning—”homemade lightning”

  5. Evaluation Process: Interviews • 2 member evaluation team • Together we introduced the project • 1st person demonstrated the machine and asked the questions • 2nd person took notes • After 1st 5 interviews, we redid the labels and returned the following week to finish up with 21 more groups

  6. Final Sample Questionnaire • What do you see happening when the crank is turned? • How would you explain this exhibit to someone who has not seen it? • What parts of the machine are easy to understand? • What parts of the machine are difficult to understand? SHOW LABELS HERE • Is it clear that there is a difference between the two balls (terminals)? • Is it clear how the positive and negative charges move through the machine? • Does the comparison with lightning improve the clarity or interest of the exhibit? How? • Rank these in order of most importance or interest to you: ________Why the machine was built/what it is used for ________How it generates electricity ________How it is like lightning

  7. Final Presentation:without labels with labels

  8. Results: Demographics Gender distribution: Male: 40 Female: 37 Groupings: Majority were families 3 scientists 1 school group of six boys

  9. Results Question 1 Mentioned once: optical effect, cracking, fire, positive and negative attracting

  10. Results Question 2How would you explain this exhibit to someone who has not seen it? Answers Include: -the disks were turning (18) -the crank turned the disks (09) -the disks were turning in different directions (04) -a build up electric charge (04) -when the charge built up enough then the spark jumped across the terminals (02) -the faster the crank was turned, the faster the machine sparks (04) -a magnetic field (03) -used the word friction (04) -said “I don’t know” (05)

  11. Results Question 3What parts of the machine are easy to understand? Answers Include: Rotating disks (10) Turn the crank/wheel (06) Balls (05) It’s creating electricity (05) Mentioned once: the metal parts, gears, rods, labels, moving too fast to see, it was mechanical

  12. Results Question 4What parts of the machine are difficult to understand? Answers include: Leyden jars (15) How the electricity is created or transferred (08) The charge collectors (03) The metal sectors (03) Mentioned once: labels, noise, the balls, why the spark is jumping, nothing was hard to understand

  13. Results Questions 5 and 6 (with labels and comparison to lightning)5)Is it clear that there is a difference between the two balls?6)Is it more clear how the positive and negative charges move through the machine? Approximately 80% answered yes to both questions -Of these, 6 groups explained that there was a difference in charge between the two balls. -4 groups noticed that the height of the balls was different.

  14. Results Question 7Does the comparison with lightning improve the clarity or interest of the exhibit? How? Every group but one said yes. Answers for how: 1)Because they look the same (05) 2)Because it explains lightning (04) 3)Because it’s related to the real world (02) 4)Because it’s good for kids (02) 5)Because it explains why the machine is on display (01) 6)Because it’s important (01) 7)Because you can control what you want to see (the phenomenon?) (01) 8)The comparison was interesting but did not clarify the machine (02)

  15. Results Question 8Rank these in order of most importance or interest to you:A) Why the machine was built/what it was used forB) How it generates electricityC) How is it like lightning • Almost everyone ranked (B) as their 1st or 2nd choice • Almost everyone ranked (C) as their 2nd or 3rd choice • (A) was split between 1st and 3rd choice (this information was not on the labels)

  16. Conclusions and Suggestions • It is clear that the machine is generating electricity but not how Suggestion: the machine itself requires textual and graphic support • Mechanical parts of the machine were most intuitively clear for people but the non-moving parts of the machine (the rods and jars) were not clear Suggestion: the individual parts and functions need to be labeled on or near the machine

  17. Conclusions and Suggestions… • There was a more positive response to a graphic explanation rather than a textual one Suggestion: color coding the machine, concise text support • Overall positive response to the comparison with lightning Suggestion: Clearly parallel the two explanations

  18. Conclusions and Suggestions • Machine interesting for its own sake; phenomenon of lightning supportive both in terms in clarity and interest • Ranking also suggests that history of the machine is interesting

  19. Evaluation Preparation • Background research on the Wimshurst machine, Book: Homemade Lightning • Online material: mostly how to make a homemade Wimshurst Machine • Very little material on why the machine was created or what it was used for • Interview questions were 2 part: (1) based on observations and (2) label content interaction (what information was useful?)

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