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{{short description|Form of informational media}}
[[File:Parable of the Polygons drag & drop.png|thumb|329x329px|Screenshot from [[Parable of the Polygons]], an explorable explanation that simulates [[racial segregation]], which allows the audience to control how "shapist" the entities in the simulation are.]]▼
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
▲[[File:Parable of the Polygons drag & drop.png|thumb|329x329px|Screenshot from ''[[Parable of the Polygons]]'' by [[Nicky Case]], an explorable explanation that simulates [[racial segregation]], which allows the audience to control how "shapist" the entities in the simulation are.]]
An '''explorable explanation''' (often shortened to ''explorable'') is a form of
== Definition ==
The term "explorable explanation" was first used in passing by [[Peter Brusilovsky]] in a 1994 paper,<ref>{{Citation|last=Brusilovsky|first=Peter|chapter=Explanatory visualization in an educational programming environment: Connecting examples with general knowledge |date=1994 |pages=202–212 |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |isbn=9783540586487 |doi=10.1007/3-540-58648-2_38|title=Human-Computer Interaction|volume=876|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science|citeseerx=10.1.1.160.9141}}</ref> but did not enter into common use until 2011, when [[Bret Victor]] published an eponymous essay<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://worrydream.com/ExplorableExplanations/|title=Explorable Explanations|website=worrydream.com|access-date=January 18, 2019}}</ref> (the essay included an explorable explanation of a [[digital filter]]). Victor distinguishes explorable explanations from isolated interactive widgets and visualizations by the fact that they deliberately guide the attention of their audience towards particular phenomena within the simulation. In characterizing the concept, Victor explains:<ref name=":0" /> {{blockquote|Explorable Explanations is my umbrella project for ideas that ''enable and encourage truly active reading''. The goal is to change people's relationship with text. People currently think of text as ''information to be consumed''. I want text to be used as an ''environment to think in''.}}
The term has since also been characterized as being about learning through play.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explorabl.es/|title=Explorable Explanations|website=explorabl.es|access-date=April 5, 2019}}</ref> The related term "active essays" was used by [[Alan Kay]] to refer to text-based explorable explanations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playfulinvention.com/emergence/active-essay.html |title=Active Essays |website=www.playfulinvention.com |access-date=April 2, 2019}}</ref> and a major goal of [[Squeak]] (the precursor to [[Scratch (programming language)|Scratch]]) was to allow for the creation of them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/3307|title=Active Essays|website=wiki.squeak.org|access-date=April 2, 2019}}</ref>
A few [[Video game|video games]] may be considered explorable explanations. For example, [[Sim City]] utilizes a complex city simulation that is intended<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archinect.com/features/article/112824468/the-theory-of-everything-in-sandbox-city-will-wright-s-keynote-at-acadia-2014|title=The theory of everything in sandbox city: Will Wright's keynote at ACADIA 2014|website=Archinect|language=en|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref> to present issues that appear in real-world [[urban planning]]. Many other games in the [[Simulation video game|simulation]] genre have a similar intention, although with many it is not a necessity that the simulation be scientifically accurate. In the [[Puzzle video game|puzzle]] genre, games such as [[Miegakure]] and [[Incredipede]] also involve interacting with systems with the intention of learning. Video games may not involve explanatory text or narration.▼
▲A few
[[Educational video game|Educational video games]] have an overlap with explorable explanations<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://explorabl.es/|title=FAQ {{!}} Explorable Explanations|website=explorabl.es|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref>. They are similar in that both involve a computer simulation that is visualized, and both have the intended goal that the audience learns something. However, in an educational video game, the simulation is not necessarily a simulation of the game's intended learning content<ref name=":3" />. Instead, learning content in educational video games is usually put in a non-interactive form such as text or voiceover; the educational game then usually has some schedule whereby the audience alternates between seeing the text and, separately, playing a game, usually a game with mechanics from a standard [[video game genre|genre]], such as a [[platformer]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cc.gatech.edu/~asb/papers/bruckman_gdc99.html|title=Can Educational Be Fun?|website=www.cc.gatech.edu|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref>. ▼
[[Educational video game]]s have an overlap with explorable explanations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explorabl.es/|title=FAQ {{!}} Explorable Explanations |website=explorabl.es |access-date=March 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Seskir|first1=Zeki C.|last2=Migdał|first2=Piotr|last3=Weidner|first3=Carrie|last4=Anupam|first4=Aditya|last5=Case|first5=Nicky|last6=Davis|first6=Noah|last7=Decaroli|first7=Chiara|last8=Ercan|first8=İlke|last9=Foti|first9=Caterina|last10=Gora|first10=Paweł|last11=Jankiewicz|first11=Klementyna|last12=La Cour|first12=Brian R.|last13=Malo|first13=Jorge Yago|last14=Maniscalco|first14=Sabrina|last15=Naeemi|first15=Azad|last16=Nita|first16=Laurentiu|last17=Parvin|first17=Nassim|last18=Scafirimuto|first18=Fabio|last19=Sherson|first19=Jacob F.|last20=Surer|first20=Elif|last21=Wootton|first21=James|last22=Yeh|first22=Lia|last23=Zabello|first23=Olga|last24=Chiofalo|first24=Marilù|title=Quantum games and interactive tools for quantum technologies outreach and education|journal=Optical Engineering|volume=61|issue=8|pages=081809|year=2022|arxiv=2202.07756|doi=10.1117/1.OE.61.8.081809}}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|from this source=yes}}</ref> summarized as:
Explorable explanations are also distinct from [[Gamification#Education|gamification]]<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://blog.ncase.me/explorable-explanations/|title=Explorable Explanations|date=2014-09-08|website=Nicky Case's Blog|access-date=2019-01-21}}</ref>, which has the stated intention of improving the structure of [[Reward system|rewards]] in learning. An explorable explanation may or may not involve rewards, and most involve none.▼
{{blockquote|Science-based games [...] primarily focus on creating an experience sparking intrinsic motivation, that is, students play for fun, but learn in the process, as their gaming experience requires learning concepts to proceed or provides an explorative pathway through the game that promotes learning. [...] Explorable explanations (or “explorables”) come at educational games from the opposite direction: instead of “games, but with science communication added,” they are “science communication, but with interactivity added”.}}
▲
▲Explorable explanations are also distinct from [[Gamification#Education and training|gamification]],<ref name=":3">{{
== History ==
Board games such as [[The Landlord's Game]] (the precursor to [[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]]) involve a simulation and so can be described as analogue precursors to explorable explanations.<ref>{{
[[File:PLATO chem exp.jpg|thumb|The PLATO computer system, which predates the personal computer, was the first platform for what would now be called explorable explanations]]
Many explorable explanations predate the popular use of the phrase<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Singley|first=Mark K.|date=1991|title=MOLEHILL: An Instructional System for Smalltalk Programming|url=http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/108844.108992|journal=Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems|series=CHI '91|___location=New York, NY, USA|publisher=ACM|pages=439–440|doi=10.1145/108844.108992|isbn=9780897913836}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Redmiles|first=David F.|date=1993|title=Reducing the Variability of Programmers' Performance Through Explained Examples|url=http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/169059.169082|journal=Proceedings of the INTERACT '93 and CHI '93 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems|series=CHI '93|___location=New York, NY, USA|publisher=ACM|pages=67–73|doi=10.1145/169059.169082|isbn=9780897915755}}</ref>. For example, the [[PLATO (computer system)|Plato system]], a computer-assisted instructional system created in 1960 depicted to the right, used interactive examples to teach concepts to students<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hackeducation.com/2018/01/25/plato|title=PLATO and the History of Education Technology (That Wasn't)|date=2018-01-25|website=Hack Education|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-27}}</ref>. In 1996, [[Mitchel Resnick]] created an explorable explanation of [[emergence]] using [[Conway's Game of Life]] as an example<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playfulinvention.com/emergence/|title=Exploring Emergence|website=www.playfulinvention.com|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref>.▼
▲Many explorable explanations predate the popular use of the phrase.<ref>{{Cite
The target audience for explorable explanations has historically been limited by available [[Software Platform|software distribution platforms]] (although some have been made for specific museums, without any intention of wider distribution, including some created by [[Karl Sims]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.karlsims.com/rd-exhibit.html|title=Reaction-Diffusion Media Wall|website=www.karlsims.com|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref>). Due to the fact that explorable explanations have not previously been successfully [[Monetization|monetized]], physical media such as [[CD-ROM|CD-ROMs]] could not be considered. Since the 2000s, explorable explanations have become more common, because of widespread [[internet]] access and increased [[computer graphics]] possibilities within [[Web browser|web browsers]], for example via [[Scalable Vector Graphics|SVG]], [[WebGL]], and [[Canvas element|HTML5 canvas]] [[API]]. This allows complex simulations to be accessed instantly and shared on [[Social media|social media]].▼
▲The target audience for explorable explanations has historically been limited by available [[Software
[[Wikipedia]] has some examples of basic explorable explanations<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Conic_section_interactive_visualisation.svg|title=conic section interactive visualisation|website=upload.wikimedia.org|access-date=2019-03-27}}</ref>.▼
▲
== Use in News Media ==▼
Explorable explanations are increasingly being created by [[Journalist|journalists]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://killscreen.com/articles/your-brain-anxiety-interactive-explanation-nicky-case/|title=Your brain on anxiety: an interactive explanation with Nicky Case|last=Joho|first=Jess|date=2015-09-25|website=Kill Screen|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-24}}</ref>, sometimes by organisations that formerly focused on [[print news media]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/02/technology/uber-drivers-psychological-tricks.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/02/technology/uber-drivers-psychological-tricks.html|title=How Uber Uses Psychological Tricks to Push Its Drivers’ Buttons|last=Scheiber|first=Noam|date=2017-04-02|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-01-21|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/datablog/ng-interactive/2017/sep/28/hooked-how-pokies-are-designed-to-be-addictive|title=Hooked: how pokies are designed to be addictive|last=Evershed|first=Nick|last2=Ball|first2=Andy|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2019-01-21|last3=Liu|first3=Ri|last4=Davey|first4=Melissa}}</ref> and [[radio]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/05/21/408234543/will-your-job-be-done-by-a-machine|title=Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine?|website=NPR.org|language=en|access-date=2019-01-21}}</ref>. In 2015, [[FiveThirtyEight]] collaborated with [[The Marshall Project]] to produce an article on prison parole assessment<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/prison-reform-risk-assessment/|title=Should Prison Sentences Be Based On Crimes That Haven’t Been Committed Yet?|last=Barry-Jester|first=Anna Maria|date=2015-08-04|website=FiveThirtyEight|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-24}}</ref> that included a explorable explanation of the effects of policy changes on prison populations. The article was cited by the [[Columbia Journalism Review]] as an example of how explorable explanations could be used to advance digital storytelling<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cjr.org/q_and_a/could_explorable_explanations_help_tell_a_new_kind_of_story.php|title=Could ‘explorable explanations’ help tell a new kind of story?|website=Columbia Journalism Review|language=en|access-date=2019-01-24}}</ref>. ▼
== Subject matter ==
Other newsrooms such as [[Bloomberg Businessweek]], [[The New York Times]], and [[The Guardian]] are also notable for their use of explorable explanations to tell stories, for example covering topics like climate change, drug overdoses, and economics<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html|title=Is It Better to Rent or Buy?|last=Bostock|first=Mike|date=2014-05-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-01-24|last2=Carter|first2=Shan|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|last3=Tse|first3=Archie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2015/feb/05/-sp-watch-how-measles-outbreak-spreads-when-kids-get-vaccinated|title=Watch how the measles outbreak spreads when kids get vaccinated – and when they don't|last=Harris|first=Rich|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-01-25|last2=Popovich|first2=Nadja|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|last3=team|first3=Kenton Powell on the Guardian US interactive|last4=Harris|first4=Rich|last5=Popovich|first5=Nadja|last6=team|first6=Kenton Powell on the Guardian US interactive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/19/upshot/3d-yield-curve-economic-growth.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/19/upshot/3d-yield-curve-economic-growth.html|title=A 3-D View of a Chart That Predicts The Economic Future: The Yield Curve|last=Aisch|first=Gregor|date=2015-03-18|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-01-25|last2=Cox|first2=Amanda|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/tosv2.html?vid=&uuid=8114cb90-2035-11e9-aa93-a38e0a227405&url=L2dyYXBoaWNzLzIwMTUtd2hhdHMtd2FybWluZy10aGUtd29ybGQv|title=Bloomberg - Are you a robot?|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=2019-01-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-whats-warming-the-world/|title=Bloomberg - What's Really Warming the World?|last=Roston|first=Eric|date=2015-06-24|website=www.bloomberg.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2019-01-25}}</ref>. [[FiveThirtyEight]] has also used explorable explanations to cover topics such as gun violence<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theundefeated.com/features/fivethirtyeight-breaks-down-the-more-than-33000-annual-u-s-gun-deaths/|title=FiveThirtyEight breaks down the more than 33,000 annual U.S. gun deaths|last=Jones|first=Maya A.|date=2016-07-14|website=The Undefeated|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-25}}</ref> and [[p hacking]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/science-isnt-broken/|title=Science Isn’t Broken|last=King|first=Ritchie|date=2015-08-19|website=FiveThirtyEight|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-25}}</ref>. ▼
The most prevalent examples of explorable explanations concern topics within mathematics<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explorabl.es/math/|title=Math {{!}} Explorable Explanations|website=explorabl.es|access-date=April 5, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Benziane|first=Chakib|title=A curated list of awesome explorable explanations.: sp4ke/awesome-explorables|date=April 3, 2019|url=https://github.com/sp4ke/awesome-explorables#math|access-date=April 5, 2019}}</ref> or [[computer science]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explorabl.es/programming/|title=Programming {{!}} Explorable Explanations|website=explorabl.es|access-date=April 5, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Benziane|first=Chakib|title=A curated list of awesome explorable explanations.: sp4ke/awesome-explorables|date=April 3, 2019|url=https://github.com/sp4ke/awesome-explorables#algorithms |access-date=April 5, 2019}}</ref> There are numerous explanations of concepts within statistics and [[machine learning]] as well as of specific [[algorithm]]s.
Explorable explanations have a bias towards focusing on
Additionally, since the simulation requires a [[Visualization (graphics)|visualization]], there is a certain bias towards subject matter close to [[geometry]]. For example, there are at least three explorable explanations about [[special relativity]]<ref>{{
▲Explorable explanations are increasingly being created by
▲Other newsrooms such as [[Bloomberg Businessweek]], [[The New York Times]], and [[The Guardian]] are also notable for their use of explorable explanations to tell stories, for example covering topics like climate change, drug overdoses, and economics.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https
==Structure==
[[File:PhETCCKScreenshot.pdf|thumb|Screenshot of a Phet simulation, intended for use in a classroom. Since they do not involve a physically
Most explorable explanations provide guidance using [[prose]]. This is the approach used in several explorable explanation [[Creative technology|creation platforms]],<ref>{{
==
▲Explorable explanations have a bias towards focusing on [[mathematics|mathematical]] topics, and when the subject matter comes from disciplines of [[Empirical science|empirical science]], there is a tendency to focus on [[Quantitative|quantitative models]] from within the discipline. This is true even in the case of explorable explanations about [[Social science|social science]], despite the fact that quantitative models are less common there<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/07/30/the-evolution-of-trust-is-a-cute-explain-o-game-about-cooperation/|title=The Evolution of Trust is a cute explain-o-game about cooperation|last=Horti|first=Samuel|date=2017-07-30|website=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.citylab.com/design/2014/12/an-immersive-game-shows-how-easily-segregation-arisesand-how-we-might-fix-it/383586/|title=An Immersive Game Shows How Easily Segregation Arises—and How We Might Fix It|last=Bliss|first=Laura|website=CityLab|language=en|access-date=2019-01-21}}</ref>. The bias is due to the fact that explorable explanations involve a [[Programming language|programmed]] simulation which is required to follow a [[Consistency|consistent]] [[mathematical model]] or [[formal system]]. [[Jonathan Blow]] has argued<ref>{{Citation|last=Glen Chiacchieri|title=Storytime with Jonathan Blow at PAX East 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwBl7Rnkt78&feature=youtu.be&t=1923|access-date=2019-01-21}}</ref> that this requirement forces subject matter to be dealt with more [[Rigour|rigorously]] than other mediums such as [[speculative fiction]].
* [[Newsgame]]
▲Additionally, since the simulation requires a [[Visualization (graphics)|visualization]], there is a certain bias towards subject matter close to [[geometry]]. For example, there are at least three explorable explanations about [[special relativity]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lucify.com/inside-einsteins-head/|website=www.lucify.com|access-date=2019-01-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://testtubegames.com/velocityraptor.html|title=Velocity Raptor|website=testtubegames.com|access-date=2019-01-21}}</ref> including [[A Slower Speed of Light]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gamelab.mit.edu/games/a-slower-speed-of-light/|title=A Slower Speed of Light|last=Admin|first=Game Lab|website=MIT Game Lab|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref>.
* [[PhET Interactive Simulations]]
* [[Persuasive Games]]
== References ==
<!--- See [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] on how to create references using
{{Reflist}}
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* http://explorabl.es, a website compiling many examples<!-- Use the format: * [http://www.example.com/ example.com] -->
* https://beta.observablehq.com, a creation and sharing platform for explorable explanations with a [[notebook interface]]
* https://minutelabs.io/, a set of explorable explanations connected with the
* https://github.com/stared/science-based-games-list, a collaborative list of science-based games in physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, health, mathematics, sociology, economy, and humanities
<!--- Categories --->
[[Category:New media]]
[[Category:Educational programs]]
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