A Qualitative Approach to the Electromagnetic Induction Fostered by Augmented Reality

In physics education, the topic of electromagnetic induction is an important but also challenging topic for many students. The early introduction of formulae, e.g., Faraday’s law of induction, seems to hinder rather than to foster the understanding of the topic’s underlying principles. In this paper, we present the basic idea for a teaching concept that can be helpful for a qualitative understanding of electromagnetic induction. To support this teaching concept further, we have developed an application for a tablet computer following the augmented reality approach. The tablet measures the magnetic field strength of a Helmholtz coil and superimposes the corresponding number of virtual field lines on the induction coil.