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

Abstract

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.