Relativistic orbit simulators as support to teaching General Relativity at high school and undergraduate levels

General Relativity is the current theory that best describes gravitational phenomena, providing the basis for modern astrophysics and cosmology. Furthermore, some of its predictions, such as the possibility of the existence of black holes, occupy a prominent spot in popular culture and imagination. However, the theory's mathematical complexity often makes it difficult to effectively insert it both at secondary and undegraduate levels. In this work, we propose the study of relativistic orbits as a possible gateway to discussions about black holes and other topics in General Relativity. As a way of supporting this insertion, we present here two simulators of relativistic orbits we developed for this purpose. The first, which is based on the analysis of the effective potential energy associated with the problem, was designed as a tool for undergraduate courses; the second, which requires input with a more intuitive meaning, can support activities at high school level. After discussing the problem in question and the usage of the simulators, we discuss some suggestions for its use in potentially significant didactic sequences.

Keywords:
General relativity; black holes; orbits; digital resources