What is Visualization: Definition and 85 Discussions

Visualization or visualisation (see spelling differences) is any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message. Visualization through visual imagery has been an effective way to communicate both abstract and concrete ideas since the dawn of humanity. Examples from history include cave paintings, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Greek geometry, and Leonardo da Vinci's revolutionary methods of technical drawing for engineering and scientific purposes.
Visualization today has ever-expanding applications in science, education, engineering (e.g., product visualization), interactive multimedia, medicine, etc. Typical of a visualization application is the field of computer graphics. The invention of computer graphics (and 3D computer graphics) may be the most important development in visualization since the invention of central perspective in the Renaissance period. The development of animation also helped advance visualization.

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  1. M

    Flowfield visualization of a gun shooting underwater high speed video

    I ran this experiment to find out what a gun would look like while shooting under water. Turns out to be quite interesting. The muzzle blast is NOT spherical as I first assumed. Regards, Mrpennywhistle
  2. C

    Can Mental Imagery Enhance Understanding in Sciences and Engineering?

    Hey people! I'm new to this forum. I feel sorry I hadn't discovered it earlier. Some of the discussions here seem pretty interesting to me at least and I feel there are a lot of things to learn. I open this post to talk about mental imagery, the visualization of concepts in physics...
  3. S

    Using Simulation for Graph Visualization

    Firstly, let me excuse myself for not knowing the most appropriate location to post this question. This is a question pertaining to Graph Theory, but the heart of the application is intended to be driven by the math and/or simulation of classical physics. At work I am currently attempting to...
  4. S

    Programs Math Major: Is There a Way Around Difficult Visualization?

    Math has pretty much always come easy to me, but I find Calc III very hard. I just can't visualize things. It has me really worried that perhaps a math major might be too difficult for me. I just want to know if there is any part of math where I wouldn't have to deal so much with visualizing...
  5. A

    Crystal Visualization for Intro Class: Cheap and Easy Tutorials

    I'm TAing an introductory class, and of course Miller indices and unit cells versus primitive cells and all that crystallographic stuff is a big first week. It's tough for some students to wrap their heads around all the 3-D symmetries, and *really* tough for me to draw all those structures on...
  6. K

    Visualization of entanglement when relative speeds differ greatly

    I'd like to invite you to help me visualize the following (and point out possible flaws in the scenario). Let's assume that two particles are in an entangled state. We leave one of the particles here on Earth and put the other on a spaceship. We accelerate the spaceship to relativistic...
  7. zonde

    Visualization of electron spin

    I have seen in this forum number of discussions about problems of spin visualization. I think the problem is that spin usually is visualized as rotating charged billiard ball. But this classical picture requires that this billiard ball after any time interval resembles itself just with...
  8. F

    Plotting 6pz Orbitals with Python and Mayavi: Any Tips or Experience?

    Hello, does anybody have experience in visualization of the 6pz orbitals? I would like to plot this orbital with python using mayavi or something different. THX
  9. N

    Evaluation & visualization of double differentials in Mathematica

    Hi, I'm trying to figure out how to use: http://www.wolframalpha.com/. I would like to be able to evaluate this function with different initial values and visualize results in some way, if possible: d^2F = k/r^2 * i1*dl1 \times (i2*dl2 \times R) Evaluate and visualize: k= 5, i1=i2= 1...
  10. L

    Can Poor Spatial Skills Impede a Career in Astrophysics?

    I have poor spatial reasoning skills yet I still dream of becoming an physicist(astrophysics really). In Calc I-II and Physics I I didn't have much difficulty because everything can be brought down to a 2d problem at most. Now in Calc III and E&M I am really hitting somewhat of a wall regarding...
  11. rhody

    TED Presentation, April 2009: Allosphere, data visualization

    http://www.ted.com/talks/joann_kuchera_morin_tours_the_allosphere.html I have been a long time viewer, fan of the Technology, Engineering, Design (TED) website, and would like to know if physicists who conduct serious experiments to verify existing theories either have used or were aware of...
  12. A

    Quarks Formation & Fractional Charges Explained

    Does anybody know how quarks are formed? and why they always in fraction numbers like 1/3, 2/3. Since charge are always quantized. does this mean quarks are not quantized.?.
  13. R

    Close to light speed visualization question

    So I'm having a problem actually visualizing what close to light speed travel would look like, both from the viewpoint of an observer on Earth and from the viewpoint of an on-board traveller. It doesn't seem that any of the visualizations in the movies fit my understanding of it, so maybe I've...
  14. K

    How can we visualize line integrals in layman's terms?

    Hello Everyone I have a few questions regarding line integrals. First what are they? What is the difference between them and the normal integrals? For eg, The normal integrals can be easily understood by visualizing the area bounded by them, in the same way is there any way as to visualize the...
  15. H

    Visualization of Magnetic Field

    Suppose I have an electric motor, and I wish to visualize how the magnetic field change by time. Is it possible for me to visualize the magnetic field line without using iron powder or ferrofluid? Is it possible to have multiple hall sensors to detect magnetic field strength in various location...
  16. S

    Interactive Visualization for Adding/Subtracting Planes

    Does anyone know of any interactive/good visual website for the adding and subtracting of planes? I'm doing the intersection of 2 planes right now, and I was just wondering if you had 2 cartesian eq'ns say 5x+2y+7z+1=0 and 5x-6y+8z-1=0, if you minus the 2 equations you'll have eliminated x, and...
  17. F

    Proving 1 + 1 = 3: Abstract Math & Visualization

    I had some colleagues in College who took a degree in Math on their first two years. After finishing their second year, they shifted to a different course. They already finished from Algebra to Calculus and they were in an even higher math. They were asked to prove that 1 + 1 = 3 This is...
  18. H

    What are some recommended tree visualization software options?

    Any suggestions for good tree visualization software? I'm thinking something along the likes of Treemap. Thanks!
  19. S

    Visualization of electron as a wave

    well i have understood that bohr's model had a flaw and i have understood that electrons can orbit those radii around the nucleus where nk=2*3.14r where they behave like standing waves.i am not able to visualize the nature of electron as a wave particularly standing,eg we can visualize matter...
  20. J

    Radial visualization & spring forces

    Hi, I am taking a Data Mining course and have this problem in radial visualization. To complete this problem, we use some physics formulas, which I really do not understand. Derive formulas for radial visualization of: a. 3-dimensional samples b. 8-dimensional samples Homework Equations...
  21. M

    Visualization of graphs in three dimention

    how to visualize three dimensional figures for example quadratic surfaces in three dimention when graph is plotted on two dimensional sheet which is usually the case.
  22. V

    Understanding Magnetic Flux: Visualization & Beyond

    What is the definition of Magnetic Flux? My textbook tells me that it may be 'visualised as the total number of magnetic field lines rather tan their concentration... be aware that this is NOT a definition.' thank you
  23. E

    Visualization of RF electromagnetic radiation

    CCDs can capture visible/infrared/etc... EM radiation. Is there any way to visualize or capture lower frequency radiation such as microwaves or radio frequency radiation?
  24. P

    Molecular visualization software?

    Molecular visualization software?? Hello, I have recently started working in the field of biophysics and I need to produce some visualizations (pictures and movies) for the molecular coordinates that are produced by my simulation code. I am looking for visualization solutions for 1D, 2D...
  25. Z

    Visualization of a reciprocal lattice

    I have been learning kittel's solid physics, But find it hard to have a firm grab of what a reciprocal lattice is like and can't understand it's relationship with e original lattice.. Is there a picture that draws a lattice n its reciprocal lattice into e same picture? so that i can visualize...
  26. N

    Mapping Complex Dimensions to 3D Surface Visualization

    I am trying to do a computer visualization of a surface in complex dimensions 2. I choose simple quintic equation: z^5_1 + z^5_2 = 1 I also implemented algorithm for producing plots of 3D surfaces that are defined with algebraic equations. It is called Marching Cubes and it simply checks how...
  27. M

    Visualization of a particle model easiest way?

    Hello, I have a working monte carlo model of a system of cobalt nanoparticles. I am looking for a way to visualize their locations, as output from the model in the form of files with (x,y) or (x,y,z) coordinates. I also need to shown on the same image the vectors showing their magnetic moments...
  28. N

    Math and Physics Visualization Applets

    http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html#qm This site contains applets on "visualsing" osciallatory motion, vector fields, electro- and magnetostatics, electrodynamics, and simple examples of quantum mechanical potentials. I'm sure that this site has been mentioned before in some post or...
  29. C

    Can I Create Interactive Applets with Python?

    This guy has made a nice series of demonstrative applets with Java. I was wondering what I'd need with Python to do the same thing.
  30. S

    Creating Figures/Images/Graphics for Visualization

    I don't know where to put this but this seems to be the most logical home for my question. Which is, if you are interested in creating professional level diagrams and figures that demonstrate concepts and ideas visually (say for example, a problem in statics), what is used? Free programs...
  31. N

    What programs are most successfull for visualization physical processess?

    Gents, What programs are most successfull for visualization physical processess?
  32. D

    Atom Size Visualization Animation

    Are there any visualization animations of the size of an individual atom, not in respect to the nucleus, just an atom? I saw an animation where I was zooming into a cell, but is there one for an atom. www.cellsalive.com That's the cell animation one, click on how big.
  33. arivero

    Visualization of contangent vector?

    I'd like to head about how people visualizes a cotangent vector, ie a differential form. I like to use surfaces of f(x)=cte.
  34. J

    Does Time Dilation Apply to Objects Moving at Sub-Light Speeds?

    I'm trying to understand the mechanics of time dilation. Mabye some of the SR/GR Gurus can help me with this one :-p So an often used example that helps to visualize time dilation is a light click. A person moving in a vehicle WITH the light click just sees the light moving up and down...
  35. A

    Visualization of a wire & magnetic field

    Hi, I'm having trouble visualizing the way to calculate magnetic flux inside a wire and I was hoping someone here could help me. \Phi_B = \oint B \cdot dA Inside a wire, using ampere's law, I got: B = \frac{\mu_0 i}{2\pi}\frac{r}{R^2} And that's where I get stuck...
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