Teaching thermal analysis: Flash® virtual instruments and movies

Using the computer and Internet to teach and train students is becoming increasingly more popular. Nevertheless, the number of faculty who take full advantage of the inherent power of the computers is limited, even in science and engineering disciplines. This paper describes movies and virtual instruments (VIs) developed by the author using Flash®, in particular in the thermal analysis area. Flash® movies have been available for some time but it is only relatively recently that the scripting ability of Flash® has been recognized as a route to VIs. Up to this point Labview® has been the primary tool for preparing such VIs. This paper also compares the relative utility of Flash® and Labview® in this regard.