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Exploratorium: Ten Cool Sites: Physics
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cool/physics.html

Physics Central - "We invite you to visit our site every week to find out how physics is part of your world. We'll answer your questions on how things work and keep you informed with daily updates on physics in the news. We'll describe the latest research and the people who are doing it and, if you want more, where to go on the Web." Brought to you by the American Physical Society.
Cool Site: September/October 2004

The Particle Adventure - Find answers to the eternal, fundamental questions of physics: "What is the world made of?" and "What holds it together?" The information on this site is clearly presented and well organized, with fabulous resources for teachers, including student activity sheets and links to particle physics education sites. (This site uses Flash and Shockwave.)
Cool Site: March/April 2004

Animated Engines - These pages are an attempt to share the magic of mechanical engines through animated examples.
Cool Site: January/February 2004

How Things Fly - Learn about airplanes, gliders, rockets and more through fun interactive animations. This site is by NASA.
Cool Site: August/September 2003

Cosmic Evolution: From Big Bang to Humankind - This site traces the cosmic origin and evolution of matter and energy from the Big Bang to 12 billion years later. You'll learn from movies, diagrams, animations and educational activities. From Tufts University, Wright Center for Science Education, and the Foundation for the Future. You'll need the free QuickTime Player and RealPlayer for the movies.
Cool Site: April/May 2003

Physicslessons.com - Lab experiments, simple animations that explain physical science concepts, and more.
Cool Site: October/November 2002

Paper Airplane - The author of this site holds the Guinness world record for time aloft for paper airplanes. This site is a good resource for paper airplane aerodynamics, paper airplane history, and instructions for building super paper airplanes!
Cool Site: December 2001

Fear of Physics - This site will erase any fear of physics you may have by showing you just how much fun it can be! You will be entertained and educated by the animations and interactive games.
Cool Site: October 2001

Antimatter: Mirror of the Universe - At this site you can "discover what antimatter is, where it is made, and how it is already part of our lives." Also, be sure to check out our new site about CERN, home of the world's largest particle accelerator, at http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/cern/
Cool Site: November 2000

Beginner's Guide to Aerodynamics - This terrific site explains aerodynamics to beginners through interactive animations, equations, images, and text.
Cool Site: November 2000

Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at the Brookhaven National Laboratory - Find out what happens when an ion is smashed! At this site, you can take a virtual tour of the Brookhaven National Laboratory's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Learn about particle physics and the cutting-edge research being done in the field, watch an animation of a collision, and learn about the construction of the collider.
Cool Site: August 2000

Virtual Physics Laboratory - This site offers a nifty collection of interactive physics activities.
Cool Site: July 1999

Life, the Universe, and the Electron - Do you know what an electron is? Or how electrons can be used to see on a microscopic level? This well-designed site is a celebration of the centenary of the discovery of the electron.
Cool Site: June 1999

Aerodynamics in Sports Technology - Want to know how topspin works to curve a tennis shot? This resource offers college level investigations into the complex aerodynamics of tennis, plus excellent lesson plans and curriculum resources.
Cool Site: June 1999

Emilio Segre Visual Archive - This searchable collection "focuses on American physicists and astronomers of the twentieth century, but includes many scientists in Europe and elsewhere, in other fields related to physics, and in earlier times." Also included are biographical features on scientists such as Marie Curie, Enrico Fermi, and Niels Bohr.
Cool Site: May 1999

Amusement Park Physics - Learn about the physical principles behind daredevil rides such as the roller coaster and the free-fall. This site combines an introduction to the basic physics of the rides with some historical notes on the rides themselves.
Cool Site: March 1999

Stanford Linear Accelerator - Have you ever wondered what a linear accelerator really does? This cleanly organized site offers clear explanations of an advanced area of physics.
Cool Site: December 1998

Physicists on the Money - Throughout history, many physicists have been honored by having their pictures printed on money. This site presents images of the currency, which can be surprisingly beautiful, along with links to biographical information about the scientists.
Cool Site: August 1998

The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere - Did you know that the earth is a huge magnet, one whose magnetic influence extends far into space? Learn how the earth produces this field, and how the field is affected by "magnetic storms" from space! An information-packed site, which may take some time to explore completely.
Cool Site: May 1998

The ABCs of Nuclear Science - A soup-to-nuts site exploring the atom, with a detailed glossary and many activities and high-school level experiments. This site requires frames and, due to its horizontal layout, may be hard to view on small monitors.
Cool Site: May 1998

Physics 2000 - This site teaches many basic concepts in physics through interactive Java apps and colorful graphics. The site is a bit heavy graphically and navigation is somewhat confusing, however the interactive activities themselves are well-constructed and fun.
Cool Site: November 1997

Explore Science - This site is one of the best we've come across for explaining scientific concepts. Simple Shockwave demos help explain mechanics, life sciences, waves, and more. You'll need the Shockwave Player to view the site.
Cool Site: October 1997

The Internet Plasma Physics Education eXpereince (IPPEX) - Designed for middle school and high school students, this site provides an excellent introduction to plasma physics.
Cool Site: September 1997

The Internet Pilot to Physics - This site provides links to other physics-related sites, a calendar, and a "Physics Forum." However, it is the "Virtual Laboratory" with Java Applets, VRML, and ShockWave demonstrations and applications that makes this site "cool."
Cool Site: June 1997

The Particle Adventure - What is the world made of? What holds it together? The Particle Adventure tries to answer these questions and more. A great introduction to particle physics.
Cool Site: October 1996

The Perpetual Motion Page - Plans and explanations for four perpetual-motion machines are on this page. The page includes an important disclaimer.
Cool Site: August 1996

HotAIR - Rare and well-done tidbits from the Annals of Improbable Research - With areas of the web site dedicated to "Launching Stuff with Liquid Nitrogen," "Dry Ice bombs and Surgical Tubing Slingshots," and "The Periodic Table of the Presidents," how can you go wrong? The only disappointment was that the "Spamcam" was working. (Warning: Some of the experiments on this page can be dangerous.)
Cool Site: August 1996

Physics Unbound - An interesting collection of resources. There is information here on classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quatum mechanics, and more.
Cool Site: June 1996

Physics Lecture Demonstrations - If you are interested in physics, this site is a must! From astronomy to magnetism to waves, this site covers it all.
Cool Site: August 1995

 

 

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