Developing an Interactive Simulation for Non-Inertial Reference Frames*

The motion of non-inertial reference frames and the Coriolis and centrifugal forces involved in understanding these reference frames are challenging concepts for introductory and advanced mechanics students. Furthermore, students also find the prediction of the trajectory of an object due to these fictitious forces to be challenging. Even though non-inertial reference frames are things students encounter every day, they often only consider situations through a non-rotating frame of reference, where the Coriolis and centrifugal forces are often negligible.

One previously utilized way of presenting this new material has been to either create a complex rotating turntable apparatus with multiple cameras to represent different reference frames or to find footage of such an apparatus. When a ball is thrown straight across a rotating table, the trajectory that results from a camera fixed to the turntable can be unexpected. We developed an interactive and freely accessible simulation of the traditional apparatus that aims to improve the understanding of the motion of objects in non-inertial reference frames. We will discuss the creation of the simulation as well as its learning objectives and the study design we will implement.