Resumen de Developing and Using a Computer Simulation of Liquid–Vapor Transitions to Improve Students’ Assimilation of Concepts Related to the Behavior of Real Gases

David Zorrilla Cuenca , Jesús Sánchez Márquez, Víctor García, Manuel Fernández

• Teaching and understanding the concepts related to ideal gases and their transformations is relatively uncomplicated. However, for science and engineering students, reaching an understanding of and assimilating the concepts related to real gases and their transformations is a more difficult goal. Backed by their considerable experience teaching this aspect of chemistry, the authors have developed UCA-GAS, computer software that takes account of all the characteristics of the problem. A methodology is proposed on the basis of a laboratory activity that makes the concepts related to the behaviors of gases and their changes in state much easier to assimilate. To evaluate the usefulness of this activity, a starting hypothesis related to the use of the software and laboratory activity was proposed and tested by means of an experiment involving a group of undergraduate students.