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Animated Physics Practice The software helps students to visualise Physics concepts and makes solving problems a rewarding experience. It has 30 events which simulate bench-top experiments and real-life situations. On-screen measurement and analysis is required for tackling the questions related to the events. Hints and answers help students to progress. See below for a detailed description of events and questions. Macintosh System Requirements Windows System Requirements The software will run on typical school networks. The manual which accompanies the software has
Emphasis in presentation of the events has been on simplicity for clarity of understanding. Colour has been used with discretion so that layouts are not too hard on the eyes. Methods for solving the question related to an event are accessed by clicking the Hint button for that event. A numerical answer for each question is shown when a user clicks on the Check answer button. Brief Descriptions of the Events and Related Questions Velocity and Acceleration Event 1. Trolley moving alongside a metre rule. The question asks students to time the distance and calculate the average velocity. Event 2. Ball moving at constant velocity leaving strobe images. The question requires distance measurements to calculate velocity. Event 3. Ball moving at variable velocity leaving strobe images. The question requires estimation of parts of strobe intervals to calculate average velocity over a particular distance. Event 4. Girl running at constant velocity - slow motion simulation. The question asks students to take time measurements and average. Then use given velocity to find distance between posts. Event 5. Car decelerating in a desert. The question requires calculation of deceleration and distance given initial velocity and time. Event 6. Galileo dropping ball from Leaning Tower of Pisa. The question asks for the height of the tower given time and acceleration due to gravity. Event 7. Cyclist riding past two posts. The question asks students to time the distance and find the angular velocity of the front wheel. Event 8. Ball in circular motion leaving strobe images. The questions requires students to measure angles to find the period of revolution and the linear velocity of the ball. Event 9. A ball projected horizontally leaving tracks against a grid. To answer the question students need to measure distances on the grid to find initial velocity and final velocity components. Event 10. Simple harmonic motion as the projection of circular motion of a small ball. The question asks for maximum velocity of the shadow and centripetal acceleration of the ball.
Event 1. A Martian being raised vertically at constant velocity. The question gives the tension in the string and asks for the mass of the Martian. Event 2. A block being accelerated along a frictionless surface leaving strobe images. The question requires distance measurements to find acceleration and asks for the magnitude of the accelerating force, given the mass of the block. Event 3. A person on a billycart accelerating down an incline. The question requires measurement of the angle of the incline and asks for the friction, given time and distance to the bottom of the slope. Event 4. A simulation of a star circling a black hole, with distances and times wildly reduced. Students can change the centripetal force (the gravity) to see the effect on time. No measurement required. The question asks for period given centripetal force, mass, and radius. Event 5. A tractor pulling a log. The question requires time measurement to calculate the power at low speed compared with the power at high speed. Event 6. Laboratory trolleys 'exploding' apart leaving strobe images. The question requires distance measurement to compare the masses of the trolleys. Event 7. Cricket ball hitting wall and rebounding elastically. The question requires manipulation of units and understanding of slow motion factor to calculate the force of the wall on the ball using velocity, contact time and mass. Event 8. A moving puck hitting an identical stationary one on a frictionless horizontal grid. The question requires measurement of distance and asks for a comparison of the magnitudes of the final velocities. Event 9. Boy running up a flight of stairs, gradually tiring. The question asks for a calculation of the potential energy gained and the average power during the climb. Event 10. Bouncing ball. The question requires height
measurements to find the energy lost during the first bounce. Electricity and Waves Event 1. Effect of static charges. A Van de Graaff generator charges an electroscope and students are asked to identify the charge on an insulating rod brought close by. Event 2. Repulsion between charged pithballs. The question requires distance measurements on a grid and asks students to calculate the charge on the pithballs given mass. Event 3. A storm. Needs a computer with sound for best effect. Really just an excuse for a simple question asking students to calculate current given charge transfer and time during a lightning flash. Event 4. Electrons accelerating between plates in a vacuum. The question asks for the energy gained, given volts and charge. Event 5. A light bulb in series with a rheostat. The question asks students to set the bulb at red heat and maximum brightness and compare the power at the two settings, given current, circuit voltage and rheostat value. Event 6. A model electric motor moving in the field of a disk magnet. The question asks students to observe connections and the direction of rotation in order to work out the field direction of the magnet. Event 7. Charged particles under the influence of a magnetic field. The question asks students to identify the signs of the charges and to compare the masses of the particles if the charges have equal magnitudes. Event 8. Imaginary waves moving past a fisherman in the ocean. This is a simple question about the amplitude and speed of the waves. Event 9. Tuning forks causing resonance in an open tube with moving piston. This question works best on a sound-capable computer, but an audio-level meter is given as a replacement. The questions asks students to measure resonance distances and so find the frequency of a tuning fork. Event 10. Stationary waves on a stretched string. This shows the component waves which contribute to the resultant effect. The question asks students about antinodes and also for a calculation of frequency given velocity, length and a certain number of antinodes.
The cost of Animated Physics Practice is $90. Prepayment is required. The software is distributed on two high density floppy disks with an accompanying manual. If ordering make sure you specify whether you would like the Mac or the Windows version. Please post your order form to
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