Students typically enjoy using PhET simulations and perceive many added benefits to using simulations in labs Ī lab using both Circuit Construction Kit and real equipment, from the University of Colorado Physics Can PhET replace real equipment? For example, electron flow in a circuit is visible in the Circuit Construction Kit, so students can observe how that flow changes under different conditions, and that current is the same on either side of a resistor. PhET simulations are designed to make scientific models visible, so they help students understand not just what is happening, but why. The “perfect world” of the simulation can often help students master these ideas, before observing them in the messier, real world. For example, students can have trouble seeing whether a bulb is weakly lit in a real circuit, but this is more easily visible in a simulation. While it is often important that students learn to deal with such noise effects and experimental error, these factors can be confusing and obscure the fundamental relationships. Benchtop experiments can often be confusing to students, because of the presence of experimental “noise” (friction, table vibrations, measurement error, etc.). Many PhET simulations include a variety of measurement tools, such as voltmeters, energy graphs, stopwatches, and rulers, and so lend themselves well to laboratory-style experiments. PhET simulations allow easy, accurate repeatability (e.g., the skater can always be started from the same point), so that the effect of many different parameters can be accurately explored. You can see all our simulations on quantum phenomena here. PhET simulations also allow experimentation in the realm of quantum physics, including recreation of classic experiments, such as the photoelectric effect, and the Stern-Gerlach experiment. For example, in Energy Skate Park, students can change the shape of the track, starting height of the skater, friction, and the acceleration due to gravity. Labs using PhET simulations allow students to engage in explorations that would not be possible or practical with real equipment. All these concepts can be demonstrated using Gravity Lab.Using PhET simulations in a lab has many benefits : Gravity Lab includes a short 4-page guide explaining the Newton's law of universal gravitation, the first two of the three Kepler's laws of planetary motion and the concept of gravity assist in spaceflight. Gravity lab is a perfect aid for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of physics, or just willing to play around with their own simulated universe. Should you, however, spend a day as a heavenly body, your perception would be completely changed. For us, standing here on Earth, gravitational forces always point down. By being gravitationally attracted to a rock weighing more than 13,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 lbs (or almost 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 metric tons), we are not very good at intuitively understanding the universal effects of the gravitational forces. Gravity Lab is a great tool to explore the laws of nature that govern everything in the universe. You can toggle a switch to show the acceleration vectors of the bodies, which are proportional to the forces between the bodies and inversely proportional to their masses. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, every massive body in the universe influences every other massive body, and it works exactly the same in Gravity Lab. The positions and velocities of all the particles are recalculated in real time. It allows you to create dozens of particles with different masses and different initial velocities by simply tapping the screen or drawing a velocity vector. Gravity Lab is a gravity simulator for iPad.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |