O USO DE SIMULADORES VIRTUAIS PARA O ENSINO DE FÍSICA EM CURSOS DE ENGENHARIA À DISTÂNCIA: UM ESTUDO SOBRE CAPACITORES

The teaching of Physics in distance Engineering courses presents challenges related to the abstraction of concepts and the limitation of practical resources. This study investigates the effectiveness of using virtual simulators, focusing on the "Capacitor Lab: Basics" simulation from the PhET Interactive Simulations platform. Based on a practical lesson applied to Engineering students, we analyzed the understanding of the concepts of capacitance, stored energy, and electric discharge, combining simulation with manual theoretical calculations. The results indicate significant learning gains, reinforcing the importance of using interactive technologies in remote education.