Peer Review

Physlet Physics: Kinematics

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Oct 23, 2003 by Physics

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This website provides examples from the book Physlet Physics by Christian and Belloni. The examples are from the chapters on introducing Physlets to students and 1D kinematics.

Physlets are Java applets that can be used as building blocks to create a wide
range of online and/or interactive learning materials. Physlet Physics fulfills the needs of instructors who wish to use Physlets without programming by providing ready-to-use examples and problems that cover the entire range of introductory physics.

The materials on this example site are copyrighted by the publisher, and require
their permission for posting on the web for classroom use.

Type of Material:

Java applets and learning assignments.

Recommended Uses:

Homework, conceptual problems, tutorials

Technical Requirements:

Physlets are Java applets and require a Java-enabled browser. Older Macs (9.x
and earlier) have problems with scripting of physlets.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

This workbook is intended to provided instructors with a wide selection of
physlets exercises to use in their courses, relieving them of the necessity of
writing their own scripts. Students will need to be familiar with topics in 1D kinematics; instructors need a basic understanding of Physlets.

Target Student Population:

Students in introductory physics courses at either high school or college level.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Basic computer literacy. This is supplementary material and should be used in
conjunction with a text or other instructional resources.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

There are a large number of items of very high quality. The vernier caliper
applet in the introduction section is an example, as are those where students
are asked to related graphs to the physical motion of an object. 1D kinematics
is well covered, with a total of 33 different illustrations, explorations, and
problems. There are many different types of material, ranging from those that
are very conceptual to those that require a significant amount of
"measurement" and calculation. (Measurements are generally performed using
mouse operations on the applet.) Instructors should be able to find examples
that will fit well with their teaching goals.

The coverage of topics for the rest of introductory physics in Physlet Physics
is as complete as that shown in this example.

Concerns:

A few of the examples may need additional materials to contribute to student understanding of fundamental topics. Problems 2.6, 2.15, and 2.16, where students must find the correct velocity and acceleration for an object to go through two shutters that open and close, may be approached through trial and error because the simulation is stopped whenever there is a collision. Instructors should encourage students to solve these problems by computations.

Other examples that might cause some problems:

For most of these examples, constant acceleration is assumed but not always
stated. There are a few questions that have non-constant acceleration.
In Illustration 2.4, the phrase "motion not uniform" is used to describe a
non-constant velocity.
Problem 2.12, which shows oscillatory motion, could be expanded to help
students explore the difference between velocity and acceleration.
Problem 2.17 asks if a simulation should be described using "the
equation for constant velocity or the equation for constant acceleration".
This seems to be an unnecessary complication since this is the same equation but with a = 0.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

There are a number of problems where students must obtain the data needed to
solve the problem directly from the behavior of the simulation. This stimulates
active learning and a conceptual understanding of what is being asked and what
needs to be measured. These problems can also be used to highlight very subtle
issues that often can confuse students.

The examples given here include some particularly good examples of interpreting
graphs, and translation between pictures, graphs, and equations.

Concerns:

There are a few minor issues that might improve the instructional use of these
examples.

There are a few problems (e.g., Problem 2.18) that ask students to compute
something, but do not allow them to change the simulation to test their answers.
The "Problems" vary greatly as to the type of question and level of student
activity for completing the problem. Instructors should note these differences
when deciding on how to use them.
Some of the problems may be too difficult for most students at an introductory level.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The interface is obvious and appears to be flawless. The examples all provide instructions on how the applet is to be used. There is introductory material for students to help them understand the operation and use of the applets. This is important since the work they will be doing will be quite different from other forms of instruction.

The ability to create an active copy of an applet by right-clicking is very powerful. This will allow students to compare results that come from changing parameters in a problem.

Concerns:

On problems where students are asked to provide equations that match the motion of an object (e.g., Exploration 2.5) when the correct answer is given, the graph of the equation does not show up when the motion graph is displayed. The equation graph is "behind" the motion graph.
Illustration 2.5 links to a page that does not exist on the website, but does exist on the CD that comes with the book.
In exploration 2.4, students should be warned that small changes in the parameters x₀, v₀, and a create very small changes in the motion graphs. Graphs will need to be expanded for the changes to be visible.

Other Issues and Comments:: This is an important addition to the resources available for instructors who wish to use Physlet-based problems in their classes.
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