In 1911 the Wilson cloud chamber opened new possibilities for physics pedagogy. The instrument, which visualized particles’ tracks as trails of condensed vapour, was adopted by physicists to pursue frontier research on the Compton effect, the positron and the transmutation of atomic nuclei. But as the present paper will show, Wilson's instrument did not just open up new research opportunities, but the possibility of developing a different kind of teaching. Equipped with a powerful visualization tool, some physicists–teachers employed Wilson's instrument to introduce their students to a wide range of phenomena and concepts, ranging from the behaviour of clouds to Einstein's photon, the wave–particle duality and the understanding of the nucleus. This paper uses the notes, books and prototypes of these pioneering physicists–teachers to compose a pedagogical history of the Wilson cloud chamber, documenting an episode of immense ingenuity, creativity and scientific imagination.

1911 年，威尔逊云室为物理教学开辟了新的可能性。该仪器将粒子轨迹可视化为凝聚蒸汽的轨迹，被物理学家用于康普顿效应、正电子和原子核嬗变的前沿研究。但正如本文将要展示的那样，威尔逊的仪器不仅开辟了新的研究机会，而且还开辟了一种不同的教学方式。配备了强大的可视化工具，一些物理学家——教师利用威尔逊的仪器向学生介绍了广泛的现象和概念，从云的行为到爱因斯坦的光子、波粒二象性和对原子核的理解。本文使用笔记，