Physics Education

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  • Advancing Physics AS/A2 Level Course from the Institute of Physics - The web site provides resources for Teachers, Students and Technicians involved in the study of AS or A2 Level Physics.
  • Amusement Park Physics - Explores how the laws of physics play a role in the design of amusement park rides. Activities invite visitors to design a roller coaster and determine the outcomes of bumper car collisions. Links to related sites are provided.
  • Animations of Wave Motion - Animated GIFs and a discussion of some of the math involved.
  • Art Ludwig's Sound Page - Various explorations of sound, sound detection and sound measurement. Includes a section on physics of sound.
  • Assessing-to-Learn (A2L) - A research project on the use of continuous formative assessment in the high-school physics classroom. The website provides participating teachers with a library of assessment items (carefully constructed questions) to choose from for their classes, and with an associated library of teacher aids which provide help with the pedagogically effective use of the items.
  • Astrophysics Science Project Integrating Research and Education (ASPIRE) - Site dedicated to helping teachers with lessons in physics and astrophysics by giving computer activities that help show how physical models work.
  • Bad Physics - Misunderstood things in physics with simple explanations.
  • Bearwood Physics - Includes revision notes and questions geared towards the A-Level and GCSE examination in the United Kingdom.
  • Beginner and Intermediate Electronics - Basic electronics explained using simple theory and diagrams.
  • Bicycle Physics - The physics of how to steer a bicycle, and how stop signs interfere with bicycle commuting.
  • Bicycle Physics Online - Divided in two parts. The first is a theory study and the second is a report of the experiment. This study was done as a part of The Bicycle Project from September till December 1999. The research was done at the Kansas State University's department of physics.
  • Cartoons and Movies - Some diagrams and movies illustrating some otherwise abstract electrical principles.
  • Cockpit Physics - Interactive physics education tool currently in development at the United States Air Force Academy. Each lesson is geared toward exploring a topic in physics as it relates to actual USAF applications.
  • Common Errors in Undergraduate Mathematics - This page describes the errors seen most frequently in undergraduate mathematics, the likely causes of those errors, and their remedies. Avoid these errors in order to improve in any math-intensive course, including physics.
  • Computer Simulation Methods - A web site devoted to faculty and students using computer simulation techniques as a method of discovery in physics. This is a companion site to a textbook, but provides content from other sources as well.
  • Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP) - A non-profit organization of teachers, educators, and physicists; at Lawrence Berkeley Lab.
  • The Elements of Machines - Some simple machines, explained, described and illustrated.
  • EmmyNoether.com - A discussion of the nature and examples of symmetries in this subject.
  • Eric Weisstein's Treasure Trove of Physics - One man's attempt to compile a useful encyclopedia of physics knowledge.
  • Essential Physics - A book for first-year college students who have an interest in pursuing a career in physics or a closely related field.
  • The Evil Tutor's Guide: Graphs and Figures - An amusing, yet sincere, look at where students go wrong when producing scientific graphs for school, college and degree level work.
  • Explore Science with Shockwave - A creative use of shockwave technology by Raman Pfaff. He has created a science site with many interactive physics experiments, from sliding down a ramp to tinkering with a solar system. Requires shockwave plug-in.
  • Exploring Physics in Cyberspace - This site describes several tested extracurricular programs geared to introducing hands-on interactive physics activities for K-12 students. Supported by the National Science Foundation.
  • Fundamental Physical Constants from NIST - The values of the fundamental physical constants provided at this site are recommended for international use by CODATA and are the latest available.
  • FYKOS - Physical Correspondence Seminary - Worldwide competition in physics for grammar school (under age 19) students with an interest in physics.
  • Glass: Liquid or Solid - Science vs. an Urban Legend - Addressing the widespread misconception according to which glass is a liquid.
  • How Atoms Work - Shows how man determined the structure of the atom and learned how atoms interacted with each other.
  • How Things Work - A service providing answers to questions about physics, science, and how things in the world around us work. Companion to the book by the same name.
  • How to Study Physics - A University of Texas classic, written before the web was around, but now revised and web-ready.
  • How To Study Physics, the Original Version - A 1955 pamphlet of advice for physics students, with much that's still useful today.
  • HSC Physics - School of Physics, University of New South Wales. Details about professional development workshops for physics teachers intended to provide background and advice on the Stage 6 HSC syllabus. Some resources related to this workshop are found on the site.
  • HyperPhysics Concepts - A concept map of physics showing relationships between topics while giving explanations and references.
  • Innovations in Undergraduate Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) - Several recent developments have stimulated a major revitalization of UIUC's introductory physics curriculum. Here are the details. Also includes references, previous presentations, and course outlines.
  • Interactive Physics Problem Set - Contains almost 100 practice problems for physics students, accompanied by detailed solutions and interactive computer experiments.
  • Interactive Physics Review System - A study aid for some basic Newtonian physics concepts that come up early in a student's study of basic college level physics.
  • Interactive Physics Scenarios by A. John Mallinckrodt - A collection of intermediate and advanced level modules in mechanics, gravitation, thermodynamics, and electrostatics for use with the Interactive Physics™ software distributed by MSC Working Knowledge.
  • Interactive Textbook - College freshman-level physics textbook online in several different formats, notably a java-interactive format.
  • International Physics Olympiad 2001 - Official site of IPhO 2001.
  • International Physics Olympiads - Regional and international physics olympiads. Information, mailing lists, and links to all the IPhO problems available on the web.
  • Intuitor - Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics - Reviews and rates Hollywood movies for bad physics content.
  • ISU Physics Teacher Education Program - From Illinois State University.
  • JC Physics - A resource for A Level Physics. Those doing high-school, O Level or first year university physics may also find this site helpful. Reviews of material, questions, and archives of previous answers.
  • Kenny Felder's Math and Physics Help Page - A collection of papers written to explain various concepts in math and physics, as well as papers generously donated by other people.
  • Live The Physics - Somewhat interactive site which intends to help with all sorts of physics homework and studying issues, and even allows you to email questions to the authors.
  • The Motion Mountain Physics Text - A free physics textbook on the introductory physics course level, written to be surprising, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Chapters are downloadable pdf files.
  • New Physics Teacher Project - Advice for the first year physics teacher gathered from interviews with expert physics educators.
  • North Salinas High School Physics Club - Projects done over the years, alumni information, and details about the club's events and members.
  • NSTA - Position Statement on Laboratory Science - Since the laboratory experience is of critical importance in the process of enhancing students' cognitive and affective understanding of science, the National Science Teachers Association makes the following recommendations.
  • Numerical Relativity Exhibitions - These are WWW exhibits based on the NCSA Relativity Group's work and on General Relativity. Exhibits about calculations, computers, virtual reality, and the history of science.
  • Physical Science Resource Center (PSRC) - This site has a number of resources for physics and physical science teachers K-16.
  • Physics 2000 - An interactive journey through modern physics. Have fun learning visually and conceptually about 20th century science and high-tech devices. Uses java applets.
  • Physics at Merton College - Matters related to the AS-level & A-level physics courses. The material covers topics in physics and its related mathematics and will supplement one's normal classwork.
  • Physics Central - The outreach site of the members of The American Physical Society. Find out how physics is part of your world, ask questions on how things work, see physics in pictures, get updates on physics in the news, read about research and the people who are doing it and, if you want more, recommended links.
  • Physics Comics - Comics-style lessons in physics fundamentals. Topics include motion, forces, vectors, work and energy, and impulse and momentum.
  • Physics Courseware Communicator - Published quarterly by the Physics Courseware Evaluation Project (PCEP) in the Department of Physics at North Carolina State University. This newsletter describes physics educational software of interest to physics teachers at many levels of instruction.
  • The Physics Encyclopedia - This site provides exhaustive, comprehensive, carefully selected and structured lists on Internet physics resources.
  • Physics Equations and Constants - A concise guide to equations and lists of constants and basic facts at the high school level, sorted by topic.
  • Physics First - For the past 130 years, physics has been an integral part of science curriculum at the high school level. Its current vertical position, established about 100 years ago, is now strongly challenged.
  • Physics for Beginners - An introduction to some concepts in physics for the absolute beginner. Included is a equation solver which is for use with the Physics For Beginners section.
  • Physics Laws and Quizzes - Solve some problems using the fundamental laws and be announced as a Quiz Master.
  • The Physics Of... - Student research into the physics of various common objects.
  • The Physics of Learning - Extending a physics analogy to teaching and learning creates a rich set of terms and relationships that are already familiar to scientists. This paper defines those terms, suggests methods for quantifying those terms and thus provides teachers with a method for optimizing student learning.
  • Physics of the Outdoors - Problems on the physics of the outdoors (pheonomena which one would observe in nature) and their solutions.
  • Physics Reference - Physics symbols, constants, and SI units, prefixes and rules.
  • Physics Simulations - Teaching Programs - Free and commercial site with physics programs and some other materials available for download and/or sale. No Macintosh materials offered.
  • Physics Simulations in Education - ZIP-format files for DOS or Windows covering a variety of physics phenomena and applications.
  • Physics, the Neglected Science - Pages to help increase awareness about the value of physics and to lend support to high school physics students, teachers, and parents.
  • Physics.org.uk - A site for UK students wishing to do physics or engineering, at all levels; with help in deciding on a future in physics.
  • PhysicsSongs.org - Songs, and links to sites with more of them.
  • Physicsweb.com - Text and software resources for creative physics teachers and their students.
  • A Prelude to the Study of Physics - A paper first published in Quantum Vol 7 No 2, pg. 45, Nov/Dec 1996.
  • Professor Stephen Hawking Online - Biographical, educational, and scholarly. Also includes a bit of fun (did you know he was on The Simpsons TV show?)
  • QuarkNet - Supports centers at 60 universities and laboratories that are participants in the collider experiments at CERN in Switzerland and at Fermilab in Illinois. Physicists will mentor and collaborate with high school teachers. Stipends are provided to the teachers who participate.
  • Radiation Physics and Radiocarbon Research Labs at University College Dublin - Specialises in the measurement of minute traces of artificial and natural radionuclides in the environment.
  • A Radically Modern Approach to Introductory Physics - A web text by David J. Raymond.
  • A Radically Modern Approach to Introductory Physics - An online book by D. Raymond.
  • School Mathematics and Science Programs Benefit From Instructional Technology - NSF report summarizes key findings about mathematics and science in controlled evaluations of instructional technology in elementary and secondary schools.
  • Science-Pseudoscience - Science, non-science and pseudoscience: a set of lessons to teach students to define and differentiate the three.
  • Sea World Physics - Lesson plans, activities and objectives helpful to establish an understanding of the following physics concepts: velocity, acceleration, buoyancy and free fall.
  • Select Physics Topics - This physics online ebook covers basic physics from Newton's laws to electricity and magnetism. Lots of applets and animation included.
  • Simple Electric Motors - Summary of science projects by Stan Pozmantir, a junior secondary student. Easy-to-build and inexpensive electric motors utilizing many physics principles.
  • Society of Physics Students (SPS) - Complete set of information for members of any level of SPS. Scholarships and awards, news, activities, staff, structure, online forms, student resources, and links to significant physics sites.
  • The Sound of Solitary Waves - Physicists have demonstrated the first acoustic solitary waves in air--waves that can travel long distances without changing shape.
  • Space and Time - Course based on Stephen Hawking's best selling book, "A Brief History of Time". The course deals with topics in modern physics such as Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, Quantum Theory, Black Holes and the Creation of the Universe.
  • Space Station Phyve - A WebQuest for high school physics and MST students to research and design a rotating space colony. This highly scientific mission contains links and teacher rubric.
  • Spacetime Wrinkles - Major advances in computation are only now enabling scientists to simulate how black holes form, evolve, and interact. Learn about relativity and its predictions through text and video files at this site.
  • Static Electricity - Scientific explanation of the phenomenon of static electricity.
  • Teralab - Descriptions and photographs of electrostatics, electron bombardment and wave experiments done with home equipment.
  • Thermal and Statistical Physics Curriculum Development Project - Includes an introduction to the project and its conferences, related papers and links, and some Java applets.
  • TYC Physics Workshops - Information about workshops provided for two-year or community college physics teachers and the products of this project.
  • UHS Physics Roller Coaster Engineering Competition - Students will build small models of roller coasters that transport ball bearings. Students will compete for trophies. Site has full details.
  • UMPERG: Minds-On Physics (MOP) - A one-year curriculum for high-school physics. It is the result of a materials-development project supported by the National Science Foundation, and its design was guided by educational research findings.
  • Web Physics Project - A flexible low budget outlet for small volume, high quality, HTML-based curricular material. It provides a forum for physics educators to exchange curriculum ideas and resources that make use of web technology (primarily public domain material), and provides a medium for the dissemination of student work.
  • West Point Bicentennial Engineering Design Contest - Bridge design contest (using specialized software) to celebrate West Point’s 200 years of service to the United States of America. November 11, 2001 - February 28, 2002. Anyone can enter. U.S. students in grades K through 12 are eligible to compete for prizes. Overview, rules, resources, and FAQ.
  • The World of Beams (Both Energy and Particle) - Explores the nature of particle beams, laser beams, and related physics topics.
  • World-In-Motion - [Win] Physics video analysis software.

    What is the electron spin?
    Electron spin is the electron's electromagnetic field angular momentum

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