Arduino as a technological resource for explicit operational invariants Related to the Theory of Relativity

Abstract

The advancement of technologies in recent decades has led technological devices to become increasingly prevalent in society. Among the various devices present in the contemporary world, the Global Positioning System (GPS) stands out as a resource of extreme importance in areas such as aviation and the transportation of goods. This device has strong foundations in the theory of special relativity, due to the difference in velocity between the orbiting satellites and the receivers located on the Earth's surface, resulting in temporal dilation.This study developed a technological product with a pedagogical focus using Project-Based Learning (PBL) as a methodological framework, aiming to answer the following research question: What operational invariants related to the Theory of Special Relativity can be mobilized through an investigative activity using Project-Based Learning as a methodological reference? For data analysis, we employed the Theory of Conceptual Fields (TCF) developed by Gerard Vergnaud. The research was implemented in a third-year high school class with a group of twenty students in a public school. The results demonstrate that, coupled with the PBL methodology, the technological product emerged as a significant pedagogical resource, mobilizing various groups of operational invariants, some explicit, others implicit, thus aligning with the TCF and allowing for a demonstration of relativistic effects in everyday life. Ultimately, we believe that this research will contribute to teachers' pedagogical practice and students' learning process.