I am also making the move to more computer use in my physics courses (high
school). I am still working on the curriculum, I refuse to eliminate many of
the "manual labs", and I do not want the computer to do the work for the
student. I highly recommend the Pasco products. They are sturdy, well
designed, but EXPENSIVE. Here is a partial list of activities I have had
success with:
1. Interactive Physics Simulated labs:
freefall with and w/o air resistance
Millikin oil drop experiment
Satellite motion and retrograde motion
Comparison of circular motion, SHM, trig functions
Potential and kinetic energy of falling objects
Mass on a spring (x,v,a graphs; energy; g or k)
2. Pasco Scientific probeware and software:
Graphing (in real time) student motion, bouncing ball, RC Car
Graphing (in real time) mass on spring (x, v, a graphs)
Rate of cooling (graph T vs. t, find exponential function,
predict T @ later t)
Motion on an inclined plane (motion sensor or photogates)
Potential and kinetic energy on an inclined plane
(motion sensor or photogates)
Conservation of momentum (w/ air tracks)
(motion sensor or photogates)
Pendulum (T*T) ~ L
3. Other:
Internet: Optics (many)
Internet: spectral lines, doppler shift, hubble constant
Internet: video clips relating to collisions, rotational motion, etc.
color mixing on the monitor (ex RGB==>white, R+G==>Y)