This resource helps students understand physics principles by allowing them to use computer
simulations in place of real life. This allows for schools who have less resources to be able to
provide for their students a hands on way to interact with physics. There are multiple
different simulators that show a variety of ways to explain the physics principles such as
Newton’s laws of motion. For example the “Energy Skatepark,” shows the user the
differences between kinetic and potential energy. This simulator also lets the user use
friction and shows how the skateboarder slows down because of friction versus continually
skating up and down the ramp, in this way, the user can see what happens in real life. This
website also has practice exercises and games with some of the simulators. A lot of physics
has to do with math and calculations, in that sense some of these simulators can be cross
curricular because they can be used also in math. For instance, one of the labs is the
“Balancing Act,” where you have to figure out which weights balance the scale and also where
to put each weight. This website also provides lesson plans, guided worksheets, and labs that
follow with the simulators. There are also math simulators available on the site.
simulations in place of real life. This allows for schools who have less resources to be able to
provide for their students a hands on way to interact with physics. There are multiple
different simulators that show a variety of ways to explain the physics principles such as
Newton’s laws of motion. For example the “Energy Skatepark,” shows the user the
differences between kinetic and potential energy. This simulator also lets the user use
friction and shows how the skateboarder slows down because of friction versus continually
skating up and down the ramp, in this way, the user can see what happens in real life. This
website also has practice exercises and games with some of the simulators. A lot of physics
has to do with math and calculations, in that sense some of these simulators can be cross
curricular because they can be used also in math. For instance, one of the labs is the
“Balancing Act,” where you have to figure out which weights balance the scale and also where
to put each weight. This website also provides lesson plans, guided worksheets, and labs that
follow with the simulators. There are also math simulators available on the site.
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Hey Brittany! Thank you for sharing this resource! What I enjoy most about this website is that it is interactive for students and teachers. I think it's really helpful to have visual aids when presenting difficult concepts in the classroom. I know I personally don't pick up on these concepts easily in science, but exploring the page made me realize how useful the tools were. This is a great tool for science teachers!
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I also wrote about PHET as one of my resource blogs! I think it is one of the better things we will be taking from our ESCI class. I think it can be transferred into cross curricular for some math problems as well. Definitely has to be used in my future science class as well!
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