A Numerical Analysis Lab: Solving System of Linear Equations ★

When solving engineering problems governed by differential equations by numerical methods, it is often needed to solve linear equation systems. Therefore, students must develop abilities to choose the most adequate method to solve them, taking into account the characteristics of the problem that is being studied. The goal of this paper is to show the visual tools that have been designed by the “Grupo Ingeniería & Educación” for working on the numerical solution of systems of linear equations for the subjects of Numerical Analysis at the Facultad Regional San Nicolás from the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional of Argentina. In order to evaluate the impact of their use in the process of learning, a comparative studio has been done on the results given by an evaluation of the topic taken on two groups, one which has used the virtual laboratory and the other that has worked in the traditional way. Finally, some students of both groups were interviewed, so as to let them tell about the things that worked as obstacles or facilitators in the incorporation of the related concepts, and give their opinion about the tools, in case they used them.