Mechanics | E+M | Life Sciences | Waves | Astro | Optics | Games | Basics Welcome to the first shocked science lab on the WWW (growing since December 1995). This site will let both students and teachers interact with material on the web, rather than just reading text. In order to use this site you must have the Macromedia Shockwave Plug-in (used with Netscape 2.0+ or greater). For the full shockwave version, select "Interact" at the left to begin exploring my world of interactive science, or choose any interesting module below. For best viewing of the interactive material, you should have your browser window a bit wider than this table. Old Version of the site (if current version is causing new problems). The logo at the top of the page will always bring you back to this page.
Mechanics		Inclined Plane This lets you alter the initial velocity, mass, and angle of a frictionless inclined plane. golf RANGE! Lets you study the range equation in a "golf" like setting. A bit more of a challenge when you use the "air" option. Air Track The basic air track with two blocks. You can change the coefficient of restitution, initial masses, and velocities. See-Saw Torque Put several masses on a see-saw in an effort to balace the system. Simple Harmonic Motion Have you ever wanted a pendulum and a mass on a spring next to each other on planets with a gdifferent than Earth's? 2D Collisions This one is not quite finished yet, but this "sneak preview" is quite functional. Lets you deal with 2D elastic/inelastic collisions on a flat (or tilted) table, and even use magnetic pucks! Driven Harmonic Motion (1 mass) Apply a small driving force to a mass between two spring. Helps you understand natural and resonant frequencies. Driven Harmonic Motion (2 masses) Similar to above, but with an additional mass and spring. You can observe different modes of resonance. Harmonic Motion (2-D) Another module with a vibrating mass. Freefall Lab - Terminal Velocity Did you ever think of all the physics involved when you drop a ball (or an expensive plate)? Moment of Inertia A lab where you can learn about rotational inertia. Density Lab Why do some things float and others don't? Learn about mass, volume, and density. A Floating Log (Updated) If a log is 2 m in radius and 10 m long, how much weight can I put on it? Find out here. Force on A Wing A vewry simple illustration of the force on an airplane wing. Created for COSI Toledo (they have a nice wind tunnel!).
E & M		Intro to Plasma Learn a bit about plasma physics. Coulomb Forces Like charges repel. See it for yourself with this simulation.
Life Science		RGB Additive Colors As you look at this monitor all the colors you see are produced with just red, green, and blue light! Subtractive Colors The colors you see around you on cars, plants, etc., are due to color subtraction. Sight vs. Sound Reflex Test your response time to different inputs. Mouse Genetics Learn a bit about the genetics of a mouse, and some of the statistics behind the red eyes and black fur. "Reverse The Field" Can you deal with point and click when the mouse does not behave in typical fashion? I did this one for COSI and it is on their web site. Time Estimation A watched pot never boils! Is this true, or does it just involve making accurate time estimates. Try to estimate when 1 minute has passed.
Waves		Sound 'Pulses' When two sounds are very similar in frequency, you'll hear pulses due to the nature of waves. Try to determine several mystery frequencies. Sonic Doppler Effect Watch sound waves from a moving source. Learn why a train whistle sounds differently as it passes by you. Doppler Effect, 2 Sources Similar to above, but with two sources so you can see interference patterns. Interference Patterns Another view of interference patterns from a "standing" wave. Lissajous Figures Can you really make a figure 8 with electrical signals? Find out here. Phased Array (Sneak Peek) This simulates a phased array, where you can change the frequency between the four wave sources. Ultrasound and radar are two real world applications of this technique. For this module, the faster your computer, the better - I haven't yet looked at it on multiple platforms.
Optics		Simple Prism The prism can be used to make miniature rainbows in the classroom. This virtual prism lets you see why Snell's Law can make that pretty spectrum of colors we see in the sky. Ray Tracing Explore simple ray tracing with a thin converging lens. Fermat's Principle Is the shortest path from one point to another always the quickest? Find out for yourself with this "fun" experiment.
Fun & Games		Black Hole Try getting ore buckets from your ore cannon to the stations that have black holes all around. Snow Flake Designer Folding a piece of paper and pulling out the scissors is always fun near the holidays. If you want to 'design' your snowflake before slicing the paper, start here!
Basics		Vector Addition Basic graphical look at vector addition. Lets you see the "head" to "tail" addition. Min/Max Thermometer (New) In an effort to record daily temperatures, a min/max thermometer is commonly used. This module will let you see if you can determine the current, minimum, and maximum daily temperature. Real-time Histogram (New) This module lets you gather data while clicking your mouse, and creates a histogram while you are clicking. You can then change the bin size, maximum y-value, and you can even edit the data.
Astro		Orbit Simulator Is it really that difficult to get planets orbiting around a sun?
		brought to you by Raman Pfaff (pfaff@ExploreScience.com)