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Re: [Phys-l] Interactive Physics -- liberation?



There is a fun, and not quite as productive, site called SodaPlay
< http://sodaplay.com/>
It allows you to create spring-like structures. You can (or could, I haven't played with it this year) adjust k, g, and some other parameters. Some folks have made some rather intricate structures. Then, you can grab a junction between springs and give it a push.
Fun.


Paul Lulai
Physics Teacher
St Anthony Village S.H.
3303 33rd Ave NE
St Anthony Village, MN 55418

612-706-1146
plulai@stanthony.k12.mn.us
http://www.stanthony.k12.mn.us/hsscience/ ;

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of John Mallinckrodt
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2011 10:33 AM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Interactive Physics -- liberation?

As Philip says, as nice as much of it is, the Open Source stuff doesn't offer anything like the ease that IP did ("does" if you are a Windows person) for very quick creation of mechanical simulations. There is a group called "Siminsights" (to whom I've offered some advice, but with whom I have no financial connection) who are trying to create a tool that is very much like Interactive Physics. IMO it is not yet quite as easy, flexible, and intuitive as IP, but it is getting better and offers an additional potential advantage of being highly integrated into the web for easy sharing and collaboration.

See http://www.siminsights.com/SimInsightsWeb/

John Mallinckrodt
Cal Poly Pomona

On Dec 8, 2011, at 5:22 AM, Philip Keller wrote:

I've never had or used Interactive Physics, but this sounds fairly
similar to OpenSource Physics.
http://www.opensourcephysics.org/

Does this do what the group is looking for?

Paul Lulai

I looked at opensource. It seems that there are a lot of nice simulations available. But I don't think it matches the best thing about Interactive Physics: how easily you can create simulations on your own with no programming skills required. It is so easy that you can actually create experiments on the fly in response to student questions. For example, I recently was going over the problem where an Atwood machine is released from rest and it runs until the heavier mass hits the ground. You are asked to find the peak height reached by the lighter mass. Yes, it's just a freefall problem tacked on to the end of a typical Atwood problem, but a few of my students were just not seeing it. It took me not even a minute to create a functional simulation that we could then run in slow motion to discuss what was happening.

Also, it takes about 15 minutes of instruction to get students to the point where they can create their own simulations, which I can tell you they LOVE doing.

Later today, I think my IT guys are going to install something on my computer that will let me post a tutorial ("Jing"?). I'll show how to create the Atwood machine. Also, I made a ballistic pendulum yesterday (took about 8 minutes). I'll post that one too.

And since I am gushing about this software, let me say that I have no
financial relationship with the company. (Although back when it was
owned by Knowledge Revolution, I let them use some of my simulations
on their product CD and they sent me a T-shirt.)
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_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l