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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Remarkable Three Body Motions

For Teachers 9th - 10th
What happens in space when a third celestial body joins two others? Discover both simple and complex situations which occur supporting Newtonian law in space with this collection of applets.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Kepler System Model

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Open Source Physics offers a file with a simulation of Kepler's theory of planetary motion, tested with the Earth rotating around the sun and another planet of the user's choosing. The download requires Java.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Local Coordinates Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This astronomy simulation presents stars in their Altitude/Azimuth coordinates serving as an introduction to the celestial globe and equatorial coordinates.
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Website
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Equatorial Coordinates Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using equatorial coordinates, observers will examine the position of a star over the course of the night sky in this simulation.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Solar and Lunar Eclipse Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Experience the simulation of both solar and lunar eclipses to understand why these eclipses do not occur monthly.
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Interactive
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Newton's Mountain Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A science simulation launches a projectile from the top of a mountain testing Newton's theory introduced in Principia.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Earth Orbit Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Nicolaus Copernicus developed the theory of Earth's orbit around the sun demonstrated in this science simulation.
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Interactive
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Equinox Precession Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Experience a science simulation illustrating the Copernican theory of Earth's orbit around the sun.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Copernican System Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Copernican system of planetary motion is clarified in this simulation.
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Interactive
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Vector Components Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
An interactive java applet model allows students to explore vectors. Students can practice finding the direction and magnitude of a vector given its x and y-components as well as practice finding the x and y-components given a vector's...
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App
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Binomial Coefficient Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students explore binomial coefficients through this downloadable java applet. A table and graph is provided.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Circular Well Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This downloadable java simulation models the 2D energy eigenstates of a particle trapped in a very deep two-dimensional circular well.
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Activity
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Scalar Field Gradient Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students investigate scalar and vector fields though a downloadable java simulation. The simulation explores the gradient of a scalar field using a numerical approximation to the partial derivatives.
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Unit Plan
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Binomial Distribution Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This downloadable mathematics java simulation explores the binomial probability distribution model. The probability and number of trials can be changed to see the effect on the distribution model.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Superior Ptolemaic Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A simulation illustrating Ptolemy's geometrical system of explaining the varying speeds and directions of the planets, sun, and moon.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Inferior Ptolemaic Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This simulation offers an illustration of Ptolemy's orbit for an inferior planet.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Celestial Globe Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Users have the opportunity to adjust several variables in this simulation demonstrating the Ancient Greek's Two Sphere Universe theory.
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Activity
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Uniform Spherical Distribution

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
The java simulation demonstrates methods for picking a random point on a sphere. Both the incorrect method of a uniform random distribution as well as the correct weighted distribution are shown.
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Activity
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Random Number Generator Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This downloadable java simulation is an interactive linear congruent random number generator model. Students use paper and pencil to calculate the first few terms and then use the generator to check their calculations.
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Activity
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Harmonics and Fourier Series

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The downloadable interactive java simulation displays the sum of harmonics through a Fourier series to yield a new wave.
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Activity
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Special Functions Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This downloadable java simulation shows a variety of special functions. Functions included are Legendre polynomials, Chebyshev polynomials, and Bessel functions.
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Electric Field: What Is Wrong?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
What's wrong with this model? Students expect simulations to show factual science concepts, but these particular simulations are intentionally built incorrectly. The objective is to find where the physics concerning electric fields is...
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Handout
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Magnetic Bar Field Model

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A bar magnet model built by placing a group of magnetic dipoles along the magnet. This simulation shows the magnetic field of a bar magnet, and has a movable compass which shows the magnetic field values.
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Interactive
American Association of Physics Teachers

Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Special Relativity on Rotated Graph Paper Model

For Students 9th - 10th
A representation of Minkowski spacetime diagrams using graph paper that is rotated, showing the world lines of three stationary observers with light clocks.