Universal Tutor ( UniTut )

  Topics Waves Frequency Amplitude Damping Description Explore the wonderful world of waves! Even observe a string vibrate in slow motion. Wiggle the end of the string and make waves, or adjust the frequency and amplitude of an oscillator. Sample Learning Goals Discuss wave properties using common vocabulary. Predict the behavior of waves through varying medium and at reflective endpoints.

  Topics Interference Double Slit Diffraction Waves Description Make waves with a dripping faucet, audio speaker, or laser! Add a second source to create an interference pattern. Put up a barrier to explore single-slit diffraction and double-slit interference. Experiment with diffraction through elliptical, rectangular, or irregular apertures. Sample Learning Goals Make waves with water, sound, and light and see how they are related. Design an experiment to measure the speed of the wave. Create an interference pattern with two sources, and determine the ways to change the pattern. Find points of constructive and destructive interference by eye and by using the detectors. Put up a barrier to see how the waves move through one or two slits. What sort of pattern do the slits create? How can you change this pattern? For light, predict the locations of the fringes that appear on the screen using d sin(θ) = mλ. Use the tape measure to verify your predictions. Explain how the aperture geo...

  Topics Vectors Vector Components Vector Addition Equations Description Explore vectors in 1D or 2D, and discover how vectors add together. Specify vectors in Cartesian or polar coordinates, and see the magnitude, angle, and components of each vector. Experiment with vector equations and compare vector sums and differences. Sample Learning Goals Describe a vector in your own words Explain a method to add vectors Compare and contrast the component styles Decompose a vector into components Describe what happens to a vector when it is multiplied by a scalar Arrange vectors graphically to represent vector addition or subtraction

  Topics Pressure Fluids Density Description Explore pressure under and above water. See how pressure changes as you change fluids, gravity, container shapes, and volume. Sample Learning Goals Describe how pressure changes in air and water as a function of depth. Describe what variables affect pressure. Predict pressure in a variety of situations.

  Topics Atomic Bonding Interaction Potential States of Matter Dipole Description Watch different types of molecules form a solid, liquid, or gas. Add or remove heat and watch the phase change. Change the temperature or volume of a container and see a pressure-temperature diagram respond in real time. Relate the interaction potential to the forces between molecules. Sample Learning Goals Describe a molecular model for solids, liquids, and gases. Extend this model to phase changes. Describe how heating or cooling changes the behavior of the molecules. Describe how changing the volume can affect temperature, pressure, and state. Relate a pressure-temperature diagram to the behavior of molecules. Interpret graphs of interatomic potential. Describe how forces on atoms relate to the interaction potential. Describe the physical meaning of the parameters in the Lennard-Jones potential, and how this relates to the molecule behavior.

  Topics Atomic Nuclei Atomic Structure Quantum Mechanics Description How did Rutherford figure out the structure of the atom without being able to see it? Simulate the famous experiment in which he disproved the Plum Pudding model of the atom by observing alpha particles bouncing off atoms and determining that they must have a small core. Sample Learning Goals Describe the qualitative difference between scattering off positively charged nucleus and electrically neutral plum pudding atom. For charged nucleus, describe qualitatively how angle of deflection depends on: Energy of incoming particle, Impact parameter, Charge of target

  Topics Resistivity Resistance Circuits Description Observe changes to the equation and wire as you play with the resistivity, length, and area sliders. Sample Learning Goals Predict how changing each variable will affect the resistance. Explain the difference between resistance and resistivity.

  Topics Kinematics Air Resistance Parabolic Curve Vectors Drag Force Projectile Motion Description Blast a car out of a cannon, and challenge yourself to hit a target! Learn about projectile motion by firing various objects. Set parameters such as angle, initial speed, and mass. Explore vector representations, and add air resistance to investigate the factors that influence drag. Sample Learning Goals Determine how each parameter (initial height, initial angle, initial speed, mass, diameter, and altitude) affects the trajectory of an object, with and without air resistance. Predict how varying the initial conditions will affect a projectile’s path, and provide an explanation for the prediction. Estimate where an object will land, given its initial conditions. Determine that the x and y motion of a projectile are independent. Investigate the variables that affect the drag force. Describe the the effect that the drag force has on the velocity and acceleration. Discuss projectile mot...

  Topics Probability Statistics Histograms Description Drop balls through a triangular grid of pegs and see them accumulate in containers. Switch to a histogram view and compare the distribution of balls to an ideal binomial distribution. Adjust the binary probability and develop your knowledge of statistics! Sample Learning Goals Predict the bin where a single ball might fall Repeat trials of 100 balls and compare the outcomes Count the number of balls in a bin and relate that to the probability of falling in that bin Compare and interpret empirical and theoretical statistics Apply the plinko simulation as a model to other scenarios where there are weighted statistics

  Topics Periodic Motion Simple Harmonic Motion Conservation of Energy Period Pendulum Description Play with one or two pendulums and discover how the period of a simple pendulum depends on the length of the string, the mass of the pendulum bob, the strength of gravity, and the amplitude of the swing. Observe the energy in the system in real-time, and vary the amount of friction. Measure the period using the stopwatch or period timer. Use the pendulum to find the value of g on Planet X. Notice the anharmonic behavior at large amplitude. Sample Learning Goals Design experiments to determine which variables affect the period of a pendulum Quantitatively describe how the period of a pendulum depends on these variables Explain the small-angle approximation, and define what constitutes a “small” angle Determine the gravitational acceleration of Planet X Explain the conservation of mechanical energy, using kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy Describe the Energy Graph from t...

  Topics Ohm's Law Circuits Current Resistance Voltage Description See how the equation form of Ohm's law relates to a simple circuit. Adjust the voltage and resistance, and see the current change according to Ohm's law. Sample Learning Goals Predict how current will change when resistance of the circuit is fixed and voltage is varied. Predict how current will change when voltage of the circuit is fixed and resistance is varied.

  Topics Molecules Photons Absorption Light Description Turn light source on to explore. Observe what happens in the observation window as you set up different combinations of light source and molecule. Note this simulation is the first to support our pan and zoom feature, so zoom in for a closer look, if you need to. Sample Learning Goals Explore how light interacts with molecules in our atmosphere Identify that absorption of light depends on the molecule and the type of light Relate the energy of the light to the resulting motion Identify that energy increases from microwave to ultraviolet Predict the motion of a molecule based on the type of light it absorbs Identify how the structure of a molecule affects how it interacts with light

  Topics Periodic Motion Hooke's Law Conservation of Energy Newton's Laws Measurement Vectors Description Hang masses from springs and adjust the spring constant and damping. Transport the lab to different planets, or slow down time. Observe the forces and energy in the system in real-time, and measure the period using the stopwatch. Sample Learning Goals Determine the factors which affect the period of oscillation Find the value of g on Planet X Design an experiment to determine the mass of an unknown object Describe the relationship between the velocity and acceleration vectors, and their relationship to motion, at various points in the oscillation Explain how the free-body diagram of the mass changes throughout its oscillation Explain the Conservation of Mechanical Energy using kinetic, elastic potential, gravitational potential, and thermal energy

  Topics Springs Force Potential Energy Hooke's Law Vectors Spring Constant Description Stretch and compress springs to explore the relationships between force, spring constant, displacement, and potential energy! Investigate what happens when two springs are connected in series and parallel. Sample Learning Goals Explain the relationships between applied force, spring force, spring constant, displacement, and potential energy. Describe how connecting two springs in series or parallel affects the effective spring constant and the spring forces. Predict how the potential energy stored in the spring changes as the spring constant and displacement change.

  Topics Gravitational Force Inverse Square Law Force Pairs Newton's Third Law Description Visualize the gravitational force that two objects exert on each other. Adjust properties of the objects to see how changing the properties affects the gravitational attraction. Sample Learning Goals Relate gravitational force to masses of objects and distance between objects. Explain Newton's third law for gravitational forces. Design experiments that allow you to derive an equation that relates mass, distance, and gravitational force. Use measurements to determine the universal gravitational constant.

  Topics Gravitational Force Circular Motion Astronomy Description Move the sun, earth, moon and space station to see how it affects their gravitational forces and orbital paths. Visualize the sizes and distances between different heavenly bodies, and turn off gravity to see what would happen without it! Sample Learning Goals Describe the relationship between the Sun, Earth, Moon and space station, including orbits and positions Describe the size and distance between the Sun, Earth, Moon and space station Explain how gravity controls the motion of our solar system Identify the variables that affect the strength of gravity Predict how motion would change if gravity was stronger or weaker

  Topics Ideal Gas Law Kinetic Molecular Theory Diffusion PV Work Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution Description Pump gas molecules to a box and see what happens as you change the volume, add or remove heat, and more. Measure the temperature and pressure, and discover how the properties of the gas vary in relation to each other. Examine kinetic energy and speed histograms for light and heavy particles. Explore diffusion and determine how concentration, temperature, mass, and radius affect the rate of diffusion. Sample Learning Goals Determine how changing a variable among P, V, N, and T influences other gas properties. Describe the relationship between particle-wall collisions and pressure. Predict how changing temperature will affect the speed of molecules. Predict the speed of molecules in thermal equilibrium based on the relative masses of molecules. Identify when pressure-volume work is done on ...

  Topics Friction Thermodynamics Heat Description Move the Chemistry book and observe what happens. Sample Learning Goals Describe a model for friction a molecular level. Describe matter in terms of molecular motion. The description should include: diagrams to support the description, how the temperature affects the image, what are the differences and similarities between solid, liquid and gas particle motion; how the size and speed of gas molecules relate to everyday objects.

 

  Topics Faraday's Law Magnetic Field Magnets Description Investigate Faraday's law and how a changing magnetic flux can produce a flow of electricity! Sample Learning Goals Explain what happens when the magnet moves through the coil at different speeds and how this affects the brightness of the bulb and the magnitude & sign of the voltage. Explain the difference between moving the magnet through the coil from the right side versus the left side. Explain the difference between moving magnet through the big coil versus the smaller coil.