What software should I use?
The first point is that as ILT is moving at such a tremendous rate some of the comments on this page may be out of date by the time you read it, but bear in mind the most recent (and often most expensive) are not necessarily the best. We have an old DOS Millikan's oil drop simulation that is a brilliant teaching aid. An organisation called TEEM (Teachers Evaluating Educational Multimedia) have a website where teachers are evaluating software. It is part funded by the DfEE and so far includes software for Key stages 1-4. The site is www.teem.org.uk Hopefully this will grow over the next few years. The IoP has launched a site www.physics.org that has a searchable database of links to sites.
We currently have:
|
Package |
Comment |
Supplier |
| Focus on Waves & Fields |
recently purchased at about £40 eachfor a site licence. Good value for money! | http://focuseducational.com then click on science programs. Free downloadable demos. |
|
Millikan's oil drop |
Basic, but good visually. Will allow the radius to be random or kept constant. Very cheap |
Available
from Vernier |
|
Easy graph |
Any student can obtain a graph from two columns of data. Will allow lines/curves of best fit. Far easier than excel but obviously more limited |
Download free trial of Easy graph Pro |
|
Data disc pro |
Use with the Phillip Harris range of sensors. Software generally OK, but we have problems with sensors not reading zero and having no easy calibration adjustment. |
Phillip Harris |
|
Albert software simulations (A set of 49) |
Good basic software though the user cannot copy and paste data into other packages. As these came on disc we were able to easily put the software on the network. |
Supplied by PT Solutions in Bradford who seemed to have disappeared. I have contacted a fellow distributor in Germany am I am awaiting a reply. |
|
Virtual Laboratory CD's * (Set of three) |
We looked at this initially and bought a set, but we do not seem to have actually integrated them into the teaching as we much as we thought we would. |
Bradford Technology |
|
Multi-media motion CD* |
Quite old now but some good circular motion simulations. Will allow cut and paste of data into other packages. |
|
|
Mega Physics CD |
A question and text package. Some students have taken to it while others hate it. Not bad for £30 ish |
APV catalogue |
|
* Software which comes on CD can cause problems with access across a site unless you have a CD server. |
We overcome this problem by fitting a small padlock over the CD ROM drive of the 4 Physics computers. This means that 4 CD's are always available. |
Many of these packages are expensive, but the IoP as part of the Advancing Physics Course are developing a CD with notes and simulations from what I have seen so far of the development at (hopefully) just over £10 it is must. We have bought a site license even though we have decided not to follow the course - we are encouraging our students to use it in parallet with our AQA course.
The question of software was recently posed and the following are some replies posted on the IoP's Physics Teacher discussion forum. To join the Institute of Physics discussion group you can register at http://post16.iop.org/network/
Copies of e-mails recently (Oct 99) discussing software.
John Anslow wrote:
Can anyone recommend a graph package that will plot a smooth curve through data points, suggest an algebraic relationship between the variables, give the gradient at any point and the area between the curve and the x-axis, and, of course, be usable by the average sixth-former? I've recently downloaded a hefty piece of shareware called KyPlot, but haven't yet got fully to grips with it.
From Mark Cramsoyon:
Dear John (I'm sorry - but I couldn't resist !) - or was to someone else ? I forget as I delete most messages before reading them I too have spent much time trying to find graph plotting software for my students. I have shied away from using powerful packages in favour of something that they all (?) have access too - namely Excel such as you! I have had a lot of success using the worksheet below. I usually give it out in two parts separated by a few months - firstly to get them using the package and then to get them using it well. The students soon get very enthusiastic but if you can restrain them then at least they are geting a result AT LEAST as good as that they would produce by hand and in many cases far superior.
Any comments would be most welcome.
Mark Cramoysan
Leeds Grammar School
Mark Cramoysan of Leeds Grammar School has also written 'The bluffer's guide to Using Spreadsheets in experimental Physics'
Try EasyGraphPro from http://www.fssc.demon.co.uk/ and download a trial version from: http://www.fssc.demon.co.uk/EduSoft/EasyGraph/setup.exe It's a straight forward package with some useful tools on the data entry "spreadsheet" page. Graph is also mouse sensitive. Its lowish cost reflects the intended schools market.
Colin
Rees
Peter Symonds' College
Winchester
Thanks to Paul Chisholm for starting this theme.
(1) I recommend an excellent molecular dynamics program that I recently downloaded for free from www.starkdesign.com/sciam (see The Amateur Scientist, Scientific American, October 99, pp 96-97)
(2) An old favourite of mine is Blackwell Statistics. I've used it with classes of 15-year-olds to take some of the tedium out of graph plotting. For example: braking distances of motor cars and their speed can be entered and easily transformed to show that stopping distance is directly proportional to the square of the speed. It is limited in that it will not plot a smooth curve through the points, but it will give a line of best fit, together with numerical values for the gradient and intercept. Sixth formers like it for log graphs, and use it in conjunction with Excel.
isy@radley.org.uk writes:
Might be useful if people commented on the price and the platform.
Crocodile Clips. (Commercial: about =£330 per user. Mac and PC). Outstanding. Very important to note that it does Mechanics as well as electricity (trolleys etc). Currently being upgraded again and renamed Crocodile Physics.
Crocodile Chemistry (Commercial: about =£330 per user ? PC only ?). Due for release soon. Looks very good. Interactive Physics (Commercial: about =A350 per user. Mac and PC).Outstanding for A level. Particularly Mechanics/Forces/Fields etc. Nice interactive models of Rutherford scattering can be done. Low g mechanics. Tremendous potential.
Orrery (Shareware: Mac) As it says. Brilliant for the solar system, eclipse etc. I guess there must be equivalent for PC.
Franklin (Shareware: Mac only ?) Electrostatic fields. You plot point charges and it draws field lines and equipotentials.
Java Various (Shareware/Freeware. Platform independent). Worth scouring the WWW for these. I recently found a very good Doppler animation. Most search engines will throw up something if you type in "Java physics education" - try Alta Vista.
Pasco's new software engine for Data Logging looks quite outstanding (called "Data Studio" ?). Mac and PC I think. See review by Roger Frostin this week's TES - or download demo copy from the WWW. It has simulation/modelling features as well as data logging.
General Modelling packages. We use Stella (Commercial: about =£350 per user. Mac and PC ) and Madonna (Mac only ?) as well as spreadsheets.
Anyone out there got any experience with these?
Graphical Analysis (Cheapware. $50 Site licence !!! Mac and PC ?) Excellent graphing package written by an American Physics teacher - Dave Vernier. From http://www.vernier.com. Demo version available. Good support. Lots of data logging support from the same site.
Regards
Ian Yorston
Head of Science
Radley College
Regarding graph plotting software. Some ramblings...
Microsoft Excel does all you need, but admittedly it hides the more scientific options away in a dark corner. Proper axes, gridlines, trendlines, etc. are all available if you know where to look. In the past I have used an Excel Visual Basic module to do all the work for my students, presenting them with a single dialog box from which they choose the type of graph fit etc.
However, I now find it more useful to actually take them through Excel's graphing options, pointing out what is good and bad. Within 40 minutes most of my third formers are able to produce pretty good and, more importantly, useful graphs. Using a spreadsheet also gives powerful data manipulations giving them plenty of scope for brownie points in their coursework! A dedicated graphing package might well save a bit of time, but if students don't get to exploit a spreadsheet application properly in science and maths, where else will they learn to use one?
John Willetts
Sherborne School
Email: john.willetts@physics.org
Mark Cramoysan of Leeds Grammar School has written 'The bluffer's guide to Using Spreadsheets in experimental Physics'