Physics
Updated: April 8, 2002
AIP Physics News, American Institute of Physics - Grades 9-12 - This site indexes the latest information on each of several dozen physics topics. It would be useful in finding material and starting points for student research projects.
Amusement Park Physics - Grades 4-8 - This site, part of the Annenberg Center's collection of web activities, offers a simple introduction to the physics involved in riding a roller coaster, and allows young experimenters to design their own roller coaster (friction-free, no less!) to see how it performs. Students could use this site easily.
Antimatter Mysteries - Grades 4-8 - Here's an introduction to the concept of antimatter for younger students. Nicely written text and charming illustrations step users through a concept that's tough for many adults. Try this one if you have a few students who need a little "something extra" to think about!
Albert Einstein Biography - Grades 6-12 - From the American Institute of Physics - This page offers a commemorative biography of Einstein which highlights both his life and his contributions to the study of physics. Good term paper material written from a scientific perspective.
A Century of Physics - Grades 8-12 - The American Physical Society presents this elegant, decade-by-decade review of innovations in physics during the twentieth century. There are descriptions of major events, several time lines, and lots of illustrations to keep students' attention. Predictably, there is lots of information on the evolution of the atomic bomb and progress in astrophysics.
Building Big - On-Line Labs - Grades 4-12 - This instructional set from the PBS Building Big series shows the physical properties of various building materials, the structural characteristics of different shapes, and lots more. The simple animations help students understand why engineers use particular forms and materials for various projects.
Fear of Physics - Grades 6-12 - There's really nothing to fear. This site tackles some of the key principles of physics and provides illustrations and explanations to show how they work and what they mean.
FIRST Competition - Grades 4-12 - Created by inventor Dean Kamen, this competition encourages students in different age groups to team up and tackle challenges in robotics, physics, and engineering. The site offers detailed instructions as well as information on previous competitions - including some examples. If you have students who are serious competitors, this would be a great challenge.
The Flea and the Catapult - Grades 6-12 - Learn about stored energy and how it works! This ingenious site is one of a series showing how nature uses some of the same principles of physics that engineers have adapted for our own use. Lots of graphics and slightly "off the wall" narrative make the topic come alive. This one will grow on you!
Fusion and Plasma Physics - Grades 9-12 - Here's a site from the Princetom Plasma Lab that explains fusion - the basic energy force that drives the universe. Designed for high school students, the site explains the principles of fusion and provides interactive illustrations to show how fusion can create abundant energy sources.
Hands on Physics - Grades 10-12 - Hands on Physics is an experience-based physics course developed by the Concord Consortium. Its goal is to provide a set of experiments which present complex challenges using materials and equipment which are easily and inexpensively available. Several lesson plans are also available.
Interactive Physics and Math with Java - Sergey Kiselev and Tanya Yanovsky-Kiselev - Grades 9-12 - This site holds over two dozen Java "Applets," computer animations which you or your students can activate to see concepts demonstrated. You can move the mass of the bouncing ball or change the angle of a light source to observe how it changes using this simple way to "experiment" online.
Learn Physics Today - Grades 9-12 - This student-developed site provides several chapters explaining introductory principles of physics. These include text, formulas, pictures and diagrams. The site was created as part of the ThinkQuest competition.
Laser Optics USA, Web Science Resources - Grades 9-12 - This site includes a tutorial on laser basics for those with no prior knowledge which could easily be printed out for class explanations. The site has extensive links to university and other research sites and resources for advanced students.
Life, the Universe, and the Electron - Grades 7-12 - This British site offers a survey of the history of nuclear physics and the ways in which physicists have discovered and recorded the behavior of atomic particles. There's a good deal of information on important physicists, both British, American, and European, so the site can be used both in the study of physics or the history of science.
The Particle Adventure - Grades 9-12 - Produced with National Science Foundation funding, this site offers an introduction to particle physics which is divided into very digestible segments. The design is a bit dated, but the content sequence is very thorough and includes several different particle theories. Well worth a look.
Physics 2000 - University of Colorado - Grades 9-12 - View very well done simulations (Java Applets) of Physics concepts. Some may be a little slow to load into your computer, but they are worth the wait to illustrate concepts which change and move on the screen. Along with the simulations are buttons to click to "put it in context," i.e. explain how the concept relates to something in everyday life. Use this as a student resource or on a projector for the entire class.
Physics4Kids - Grades 6-12 - This is an engaging, "real science" site with explanations and narrative designed to keep students involved. There are explanations of more than a dozen concepts, each in sufficient detail that the site can serve as both an independent study and an enrichment resource. Teachers may also find the site a good resource for strategies on conveying abstract concepts.
The Physics Classroom, Glenbrook, IL (school district site) - Grades 9-12 - This site has a complete online high school physics tutorial for students, including links to animations to understand basic concepts. Class projects, supplemental resources, and Internet problems are included. A real treasure chest!
Skateboard Science - Grades 6-12 - This site from San Francisco's Exploratorium offers a fascinating look into the physics behind all those bizzare skateboard tricks. Learn why riders and boards stay together, and about the forces that combine to make a successful trick. Along the way, there are links to other related topics.
Trebuchet.com - Grades 6-12 - This privately published site documents and illustrates the history of the trebuchet, a marvel of medieval physics that could hurl heavy things great distances. Students can learn how to build their own miniature version, and they can study why the trebuchet worked so efficiently. This one's both fun and instructional.
The Soundry - Grades 6-12 - Here's proof that physics can be fun. This student-created site explores how sound waves travel, and includes several neat Java applets which demonstrate phenomena like the Doppler effect. You'll need a computer with a sound card to get the full effect. Students can work with the material at a variety of levels.
Virtual Physics Lab - Grades 9-12 - Here's a site from the University of Oregon that offers a collection of Java applets that illustrate physics lab activities - like plotting the trajectory of a cannonball - that might be difficult in the classroom. Though the quality of these applets is uneven, the site is well worth a look since it could easily be used in either individual or group settings.
Visual Physics, Cariboo Hill Secondary School, Burnaby BC - Grades 9-12 - This site, made by high school Physics students as a 1997 Thinkquest entry, brings physics concepts to life with simulations on such topics as work, force, tension, momentum, etc. Students can change data input to observe the changes in the simulations. It explains terms simply by clicking on the words to receive definitions. The site also includes an online quiz function for students to test themselves on new material explained within the site or in your class. A question of the week greets you when you log on, and answers are supplied weekly.
Zona Land : Education in Physics and Mathematics - Grades 9-12 - This site includes simple definitions of physics terminology and a game to demonstrate momentum. It could be useful for student review or supplemental material. The site is expanding and may include more at a later date.
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