Prototype Physlet

A prototype physlet by JD:

Bouncing Ball

Kat's physics sim links

1) Physlets (Davidson College):

http://webphysics.davidson.edu/Applets/Applets.html

2) MIT TEAL - Add waves, have them reflect or diffract off of walls etc.

http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/visualizations/light/waves2d/waves2d.htm

3) PhET (UC Boulder):

http://phet.colorado.edu/index.php

4) Dan Russell (Kettering) Mathematica

http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/demos.html

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A collection of Flash animations for physics,

http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/Flash/


RAYTRACE - commercial product. Optics simulations.

Example JelSim: Projectile Motion

Here's an example simulation I created with JelSim:
http://users.csc.calpoly.edu/~jdalbey/Public/ProjectileSim/ProjectileSim.html

(Requires Java plug-in).

JelSim

Java Educational Learning Simulation toolkit

A pretty good general purpose tool.
Created by three Ph.D. educators.
Simple sims can be made without programming.
Advanced sims require a little programming,
but not too much as they have a "wizard" to help
with model building.

Models can be reused in different sims.

Programming required: Med
Accurate visual model: Med
Accurate underlying model: High
General applicability: Med/High
Interactivity: High

Unfortunately, it's not supported any longer.

Virtual Worlds

Virtual Worlds such as Second Life have embedded programming languages for creating simulations in the virtual world.
Example shown here of ant feeding.

Programming required: High
Accurate visual model: Med
Accurate underlying model: High
General applicability: Med
Interactivity: Low

Mathematica

Mathematica, MATLAB, Excel,etc.

General purpose calculation tools that can be adapted for modeling/simulation.
Some have simulation extensions.

Programming required: High
Accurate visual model: Low
Accurate underlying model: High
General applicability: Med
Interactivity: Med

GoldSim

Aimed at both academia and industry.
Graphical construction kit.
Provides numerical charts/graph results.

No programming.
No animation

Programming required: Low
Accurate visual model: Med
Accurate underlying model: High
General applicability: Med
Interactivity: Low


.

Industry Tools

AnyLogic, ARENA, Dymola, Modelica, EcosimPro, Renque, SansGUI, Simscript, etc.

Intended for real world simulations.
Most require programming.
Vary in accuracy of visual model. Some provide only numerical charts/graphs for output.

Programming required: High
Accurate visual model: High
Accurate underlying model: High
General applicability: Med
Interactivity: High

Flash

Flash animation

Index of Examples: CMU Biology

Demonstrate change over time.

Programming required: Low
Accurate visual model: Medium
Accurate underlying model: Low
General applicability: High
Interactivity: Low

Stagecast Creator

Animations, simulations, games.
Discrete event, Rule-based model.
Program by Example.
2 dimensional

Programming required: Low
Accurate visual model: Low
Accurate underlying model: Low
General applicability: Medium
Interactivity: High


Note: Commercial software
Creating large simulation is tedious due to mouse-driven rule construction.
Example: Sudden Speciation

VRML

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
3D animations in a web browser.

User can control display of different portions of the model. Example: Protein Explorer




Programming required: Medium
Accurate visual model: Medium
Accurate underlying model: Low/none
General applicability: High
Interactivity: Medium
Similar to: Shockwave Flash, QuickTime
Notes: Open standard. VRML seems no longer active and the
replacement, X3D, is still immature.