Bookmark Collection

Looking for a visual, interactive, and technological way to teach about physics that will make it easier for students to understand even the most complicated concepts? Physlets is a powerful collection of Java applets that create simulations for most topics in physics. Envelope-pushing programming, giving these applets unparalleled breadth and flexibility, makes Physlets a truly unique and engaging tool.

Quantum mechanical systems a non-intuitive concept if ever there was one. Yet, this collection of animations and simulations of quantum mechanical systems, which covers the breadth of topics in introductory courses, does so in a way that engages students and makes these difficult concepts visible. The illustrations of quantum systems at the site promote visual and conceptual learning, important due to the non-intuitive nature of the subject. This site goes beyond standard materials, giving example modern applications and advanced topical links.

This site was honored because of its comprehensive coverage of most of physics, the creative use of multimedia and linking, and the impact it has had on students worldwide. Online tutorials cover a wide range of physics topics, including modern physics and astronomy. Material is organized through extensive concept maps.

This site provides excellent illustrations of the physical models that are so important for an expert view of physics and physical systems. The simulations provide a number of different ways to study and learn, including through movement of virtual objects, graphs, and manipulating numbers and equations. More importantly, the learning styles that the simulations encourage are those most often lacking in physics classes, which are often over burdened by paper and pencil manipulation of equations and numbers. The entire development process of these simulations is grounded in research on the ways in which students learn physics. Once created, extensive work is done to understand the impact and results of these simulations have on student learning. One of the most fascinating studies involves the virtual circuit simulator. The research work on this simulation indicates that students who use just the simulation have a better conceptual understanding of currents, voltages, and circuits. An interview with the award winning author can be found in About us at Phet Video

This collection of 16 animations and simulations covers the topic of Faraday's law and induction. They illustrate the currents and fields induced by moving magnets and changing magnetic fields. The Physics Editorial Board selected this learning material because it moves the class beyond the simple, analytically solvable problems usually covered in introductory classes.

This is a very extensive database of Peer-Instruction questions, organized by topic and level. The questions in the database include both the answers and a description of the physics concepts being assessed. The web site also contains help for instructors in using these questions for formative assessment, to encourage discussion, and to effectively promote student learning.

The Java Optics Course is a collection of Open Source Physics simulations that cover important topics in optics. The simulations include ray tracing, refraction and optical fibers, interference effects, and Fourier optics. There is also an excellent simulation of the eye and the physics of poor vision. The theoretical background of the physics simulated is described for each applet, and videos of real experiments are available for comparison with

A collection of virtual experiments based on a simulation of a driven pendulum. Covers undamped and damped motion, drive options include a periodic forces and horizontal, vertical, and rotating pivot drives. A stopwatch is available for quantitative measurements for the undriven case, an oscilloscope is used for the others. Operating parameters can be varied by the user. Each of the systems covered includes some suggested experiments. There are also extensive links to discussions of the underlying theory in the associated lecture room.

This site provides a large selection of physics and math simulations. There is also fairly comprehensive explanatory information about the science and computation behind the applets. The applets are fairly small, and load quickly (even on dial-up), but are very broad in their coverage of topics. These applets are useful for illustrating physical systems and behavior that can not, in general, observed by experiments.

This is a comprehensive set of online tutorials and self-tests covering the fundamental topics of mechanics. Topics include vectors, 1D and 2D kinematics, Forces and Dynamics, and Work and Energy (under construction). These tutorials provide introductions to the concepts, illustrated by animations and graphs. Quantitative measurements can be taken as well. Instructions and text help explain the purpose of each simulation, how it works, and the physics involved. The user is able to enter responses to specific questions and receive immediate confirmation of the answer. Many demonstrations are provided as well.