WebSights offers a selection of sites appropriate for teaching
a standard topic, year-long introductory physics survey course. Next month's column will feature sites
for teaching introductory modern physics.
All sites are copyright by the authors. This column is also available as a web page at <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.Edu/pubs/WebSights/>.
If you have successfully
used a site to teach physics that you feel is outstanding and appropriate for WebSights, please email me the site and how you use it for
possible inclusion in WebSights. The best site monthly will receive a
T-shirt. <macisadl@buffalostate.edu>
The Mechanical Universe: 52 half-hour university physics lessons streamed as
video-on-demand free of charge.
Program 40: Optics
addresses wave properties of light such as reflection, refraction and
diffraction, and program 39: Maxwell's Equations builds the electromagnetic field theory of light. <http://www.learner.org/progdesc/series42.html>.
Optics simulations are particularly powerful examples of technology
supporting learning; my personal favorite JAVA Applet is Thin Lens <http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/java/Lens/lens_e.html>,
which allows the direct manipulation of a simple thin lens or mirror, animating
the ray diagram for the standard situations and problems. I use this applet both for
instructional visualization and for student problem checking. The author has many other applets
dedicated to simple optical phenomena (reflection, refraction, transmission,
colors, prisms, rainbows, etc.) on his site.
A more sophisticated
geometric optics applet supporting multiple optical components is found at <http://www.highpoint.edu/~atitus/physlets/optics/index.html>. Suggested: J. Digiacomo, D. Doty, S.
Walters.
Some wave optics
simulations showing how wavefronts behave during refraction and reflection
(Huygen's Principle) include <http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/java/propagation/propagation.html>
and <http://physics.ham.muohio.edu/p171s01/wave.htm>. Suggested: D. Doty, B. Thompson.
I believe Young's Double
Slit Experiment is one of the most
important topics in wave optics, and a visualization / simulation applet is
found at: <http://vsg.quasihome.com/interfer.htm>. A useful collection of images of
interference patterns on a water surface is at <http://physics.nad.ru/Physics/English/waves.htm>. Wiley has produced a nice single slit
simulation (amongst many others) at <http://www3.interscience.wiley.com:8100/legacy/college/cutnell/0471151831/concepts/>. Suggested: B. Mauser, N. Stenz, and S.
Walters
K-12 and middle school
appropriate optics sites include: <http://www.opticalres.com/kidoptx.html>
and <http://www.opticsforkids.org/>,
the latter site includes lesson plans by grade level. Suggested: N. Golembieski.
An artist's site
exploring optics is Bob Miller's
Light Walk, <http://www.exploratorium.edu/light_walk/>.
Atmospheric optical
phenomena can be seen at: <http://www.sundog.clara.co.uk/atoptics/phenom.htm>
with discussion at <http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/GF/explain/atmos_refr/astr_refr.html>. More images are found at <http://www.weather-photography.com/gallery.php?cat=optics>. Suggested: D. Graf.
Recently a discussion on
the Modeling-l listserv revealed a JAVA applet partially replicating the famous
Graphs and Tracks software used
for Physics Education Research by Trowbridge and McDermott (published in the American
Journal of Physics). The applet: <http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/courses/gladney/mathphys/java/sect2/RollBall.html>
allows students to design track geometry, roll a ball down the track, view
graphs of position, velocity or acceleration vs. clock reading, and roughly fit
conics to these graphs. There are
curricular materials for this software found on the modeling website (Unit II
worksheet 2) at <http://modeling.asu.edu/Modeling-pub/Mechanics_curriculum/>. A more comprehensive (commercial)
version of this software with teaching guide is available from Physics Academic
Software at <http://webassign.net/pas/graphs_and_tracks/gandt.html>. Suggested: Modeling-L posters.
Dan M <danmac@att.net>