Introduction
Since 1950, computers have been used to perform numerical forecasts using modelling techniques of dynamical equations. However, the use of computer simulations for science teaching have begun in the last 15 years.
One of the arguments for using computer simulation has been the fact that it provides an opportunity for students to express their own conceptual understanding of physical phenomena, using visual and multiple representations of scientific concepts and their causal relationships.
The visually oriented software for modelling dynamic systems provides a rich set of visual tools to make explicit the structural relationships that reflect the behaviour of a dynamic system.
Schecker (1996) focuses on the use of numerical modelling systems in high school physics and introductory university physics. The focus of his approach lies on integrating measuring and modelling.
The aim of our work is to assess students meaningful comprehension of the processes through their interaction with the variables used in physical processes associated to weather and climate.
We applied a modelling dynamic software to the surface balance radiation and energy in a Bioclimatology Course, for Biology students, and to vorticity equation in a Dynamic Meteorology Course for Meteorology and Oceanography students.
Generally, these students have not learned programming so the resolution of the system equations is done through manual calculations.