Physics
PhET Simulations Based Project
name ___________________
the website is http://phet.colorado.edu. (Interactive Physics Simulations from the University of Colorado)
Potential Learning Objectives. Using PhET sims, the student will: See back for more on each====>
1) review/reinforce physics topics already covered--and prepare for our 2nd Semester Final Exam
2) extend material already covered to new applications/insights--prepare for another physics course
3) investigate, learn about and report on something with a physics connection seems intriguing--conceivably
something that connects with another science course
4) have fun (some of the sims resemble games or involve creativity/building) and learn physics!
5) complete learning activities created by others (Alternative: if none exist to your liking, create your own.)
6) design, conduct, and document his or her own independent study project built around PhET sims
What is required: everyone must complete the last two objectives in this list. Satisfying the last objective
requires a) on the front end: writing up a half page proposal and having it approved by the instructor before
beginning work; b) along the way taking notes related to each sim site you visit emphasizing how this
contributes to your achieving the learning objective(s) you've selected; c) on the back end: submitting a
written report by _________ --reporting on your efforts to achieve the objectives (both required & selected).
Satisfying the next to last objective requires completing at least two such activities (Note: Click on "Teacher
Ideas and Activities," then "Browse." There were 379 such contributions listed when last checked.)
Getting Started: Check out the website, run a few of the sims, look over the list of offerings (below), look
over the list of learning objectives (above) and notes (back), look at a few activities, then write up your plan.
Plan on using the PhET website, your textbook, other websites, and consulting your instructor as needed.
A List of All of the PhET Simulations
Alpha Decay
Balloons and Static Electricity
Battery-Resistor Circuit
Circuit Construction Kit (AC+DC)
Conductivity
Double Wells and Covalent Bonds
Electric Field of Dreams
Estimation
Forces in 1 Dimension
Gas Properties
Glaciers
Ladybug Revolution
Magnet and Compass
Maze Game
Molecular Motors
My Solar System
Ohm's Law
Pendulum Lab
Plinko Probability
Quantum Tunneling and Wave Packets
The Ramp
Reversible Reactions
Self-Driven Particle Model
Simplified MRI
Stern-Gerlach Experiment
Vector Addition
Arithmetic
Band Structure
Blackbody Spectrum
Circuit Construction Kit (DC Only)
Curve Fitting
Eating & Exercise
Energy Skate Park
Faraday's Electromagnetic Lab
Fourier: Making Waves
Generator
The Greenhouse Effect
Lasers
Magnets and Electromagnets
Microwaves
Motion in 2D
Neon Lights and Other Discharge Lamps
Optical Quantum Control
pH Scale
Projectile Motion
Quantum Wave Interference
Reactions & Rates
Rutherford Scattering
Semiconductors
Sound
Stretching DNA
Wave Interference
Balloons & Buoyancy
Battery Voltage
Charges and Fields
Color Vision
Davisson-Germer: Electron Diffraction
Electric Field Hockey
Equation Grapher
Faraday's Law
Friction
Geometric Optics
John Travoltage
Lunar Lander
Masses & Springs
Models of the Hydrogen Atom
The Moving Man
Nuclear Fission
Optical Tweezers and Applications
Photoelectric Effect
Quantum Bound States
Radio Waves & Electromagnetic Fields
Resistance in a Wire
Salts & Solubility
Signal Circuit
States of Matter
Torque
Wave on a String
Notes on the Potential Learning Objectives to Help in Planning Your Independent Study Project
1) review/reinforce physics topics already covered--and prepare for our 2nd Semester Final Exam
Some of the sims that will help you do this are: Torque, Ladybug Revolution , Wave on a String, Masses &
Springs, Geometric Optics, Wave Interference, Sound, and most of the sims in the "Electricity, Magnets, & Circuits" category
2) extend material already covered to new applications/insights--prepare for another physics course
The TVS introductory physics course is supposed to cover these topics: mechanics, gravity, heat, light,
sound, electricity and magnetism, and nuclear and modern physics. We have not covered "heat" nor
"nuclear and modern physics" in the formal part of the course already completed, but you can in this
independent study last part of the course based on sims. How? By picking sims from these categories on
the PhET website: "Heat & Thermo" and "Quantum Phenomena"
Perhaps you are planning on taking AP Physics C next year? Besides covering additional sections in the
text that were omitted in Rotational Dynamics, Electrostatics, and Electric Circuits (see instructor), the
following sims may be instructive: Curve Fitting, Motion in 2D, Pendulum Lab, The Ramp, Torque, and Ladybug
Revolution. In the "Electricity, Magnets, & Circuits" category spend some time with Charges and Fields, Signal
Circuit, Circuit Construction Kit (AC+DC), Generators, along with some of the others you find intriguing.
3) investigate, learn about and report on something with a physics connection seems intriguing
There are interdisciplinary simulations--note categories for "Biology," "Chemistry," and "Earth Science"
If you're interested in environmental science and better understanding global climate change, consider
The Greenhouse Effect, Blackbody Spectrum, Glaciers
4) have some fun (some of the sims resemble games or involve creativity/building) and learn physics
Simulations to explore here include Circuit Construction Kit (DC Only), Color Vision, Eating & Exercise, Electric Field
Hockey, Electric Field of Dreams, Energy Skate Park, John Travoltage, Lunar Lander, The Moving Man, Maze Game, My Solar
System, Neon Lights and Other Discharge Lamps, Simplified MRI
5) complete learning activities created by others (Alternative: if none exist to your liking, create your own.)
Feel free to download or print out those you find on the PhET website--if you need help see your instructor.
On the PhET website's "Teacher Ideas and Activities" page you'll find the following advice: "Start by
browsing existing contributions. These contributions include homework assignments, lectures, activities,
concept questions and more, and enable you to get the most out of your PhET experience. If you already
have a simulation in mind, head over to the PhET simulations to browse the contributions designed for that
simulation...If you have developed some material you'd like to share with others, please consider
contributing it to PhET." You'll even find "guidelines for contributions."
6) design, conduct, and document his or her own independent study project build around PhET sims
Start with deciding on what it is you want to learn--that is, with the list of potential learning objectives
summarized at the beginning of the reverse side of this handout and expanded upon on this side.
Grading the PhET Simulations Based Project
The report you submit will determine your grade--a grade that will be placed in the "Exam" grade category.
The grade will be based on a) project proposal b) how well you accomplish the previously identified
learning objectives (both required and selected) c) evidence of the effort you make, d) evidence of original
thinking, original contributions e) the level of difficulty of what you set out to do f) perceived value to you