ABSTRACT
Computer simulation is rapidly becoming a standard part of the methodology of science research. It bridges the two established science inquiry paradigms, experiment and theory, informing and enhancing both. The outputs generated in science simulations are routinely expressed visually as computer animations. Animated displays of the modeled behaviors often give valuable insights about underlying processes. This chapter describes tools for visualization of computer simulations in science education and research and presents an informal assessment of the technological approaches used. We discuss two distinctly different kinds of visualizations,product visualization (visualization of the simulation model's outputs) andprocess visualization (visualization of the model's processes per se). Scientific research through computer modeling has become standard practice at many government, industry, and university supercomputer centers. Though product visualization is extensively employed in these activities, process visualization is rarely used. Our thesis is that both kinds of visualization are valuable for furthering scientific insight and understanding. Further, we feel that their integrated use becomes essential as models become more complex. 1
