Virtual Physics Labs

Students solve physics equations as they juggle balls, shoot cannons, fly helicopters, drive race cars, and place satellites in orbit. This program would be most appropriate for a high school physics computer lab. At the end of each activity is a save function, so the program can be adapted to different lengths of lab time. It is also useful for self-instruction, home instruction, and examination review. All files can be printed to allow for teacher feedback and assessment.

This software collection includes math-based physics activities covering concepts related to motion, Newton's Laws, gravity, sound, electricity, electromagnetism, refraction, and special relativity. Each arcade-like activity includes an introduction, a list of concepts covered, and a varying number of exercises. In "Skeeball," for example, six exercises involve an increasingly difficult level of problem-solving for the concepts of speed, velocity, acceleration, and acceleration and position.