Review for:CalTech's Physics Applets for E&M

If you used this resource in your own classroom, please add your review.

    

posted: on October 26, 2006 at 3:51PM

My rating of this resource: ****

My experience using this resource:
Electricity and Magnetism

Topic I was teaching:
Electric Fields

My learning goal for which this resource was used:
Learning what an electric Field looks like
Learning the properties of an Electric Field
Having the kids think Efields were "cool."

Course Level:
Honors or Advanced

How I/my students used the resource:
I demonstrated it in class and they have homework where they have to set up various situations and draw the field. Next week they will have to draw the equipotentials on top of the field.

Value Added:
Provides visualization or animation, Increases mapping skills, Provides a virtual lab, Provides practice or tutorial, Increases student engagement and motivation

Strengths:
It's free (EM Field which does more costs $350 per site license)
It's fast
It's straight-forward
It's snazzy (kids like to play around with it)

Weaknesses:
It does not show the direction of the field.
It does not show force vectors.

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