PhET provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness.
The Physical Sciences Resource Center is a web-based databank that provides K-20 teachers links to a wide range of teaching and learning resources in the physical sciences. All materials are classified by their grade level, topic, and activity type, and have descriptions outlining their content.
We started this podcast to provide useful information about how some of the best physics teachers we know teach the subject. Nearly always the answer will be ‘do some practical work’, which we know is essential to grounding understanding as well as being fun to do and making lessons easier to manage.
STEP UP is a national community of physics teachers, researchers, and professional societies. We design high school physics lessons to empower teachers, create cultural change, and inspire young women to pursue physics in college.
You can find more great teaching resources for physics at: Science: Physics
Explore the interactions between two atoms. Turn on the force arrows to see the total force acting on the atoms or the individual attractive and repulsive forces. Try the Adjustable Attraction atom to see how changing the parameters affects the interaction.
Originally discovered by accident, X-rays are now used about 100 million times a year in clinics around the world. How do X-rays work? This video describes the history and mechanics of the X-ray machine and CT scanners.
Clifford Johnson describes the idea of breaking down the universe to a few very small elementary particles. Visit the Think and Dig Deeper links for a quiz and additional information.
In 2012, scientists at CERN discovered evidence of the Higgs boson, one of two types of fundamental particles and a game-changer in the field of particle physics, proving how particles gain mass. This animated video explains the exciting implications of the Higgs boson.
How did the universe begin and how is it expanding? CERN physicist Tom Whyntie shows how cosmologists and particle physicists explore these questions by replicating the heat, energy, and activity of the first few seconds of our universe, from right after the Big Bang. (site)
It's time to delve into the world of AC Circuits. We’ve talked about how they change voltage, which helps transmit electricity over long distances, but there’s so much more to the physics of AC circuitry.
By now you know your way around a basic DC circuit. You’ve learned how to simplify circuits with resistors connected in series and parallel with a single battery source.
The way light behaves can seem very counterintuitive, and many physicists would agree with that, but once you figure out light waves it all starts to make more sense!
e=mc2... it's a big deal, right? But why? And what about this grumpy cat in a box and probability? In this episode, Shini attempts to explain a little more on the topic of quantum mechanics.
Light is everywhere … but it’s not as predictable as you might think. It’s a wave that travels in straight lines, yet it also reflects off of surfaces, refracts through various materials, and generally changes direction all the time!
Today, Shini has the task of breaking down electrical potential energy, electric potential, voltage, capacitors, energy storage, and potential energy... it's a lot!
Light a light bulb by waving a magnet. This demonstration of Faraday's Law shows you how to reduce your power bill at the expense of your grocery bill. [site]
There are three types of color receptors in your eye: red, green and blue. But how do we see the amazing kaleidoscope of other colors that make up our world? This video explains how humans can see everything from auburn to aquamarine.
Marie Skłodowska Curie’s revolutionary research laid the groundwork for our understanding of physics and chemistry, blazing trails in oncology, technology, medicine, and nuclear physics, to name a few. Watch this video to learn about her amazing discoveries.
To help us understand the Higgs boson (a magic particle) and the Higgs Field, this video outlines an analogy of a large dinner party, a loud group of physicists, and Peter Higgs himself.
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that you can never simultaneously know the exact position and the exact speed of an object. Why not? Because everything in the universe behaves like both a particle and a wave at the same time. Related Lesson
Chemical bonds form in order to minimize the energy difference between two atoms or ions. Learn about ionic and covalent bonds and how to calculate the energy transferred in an ionic bond using Coulomb's Law.
Ever notice how cereal tends to stick together in the middle of the bowl? Or it clumps to the edges. That makes it easy to eat, but why does it happen?
In this activity, you relate gravitational force to masses of objects and distance between objects. In addition, you learn about Newton's third law for gravitational forces. You can visualize the gravitational force that two objects exert on each other.
How fast are you moving? seems like an easy question, but it's actually quite complicated. Even when you think you're standing still, the Earth is moving relative to the Sun, which is moving relative to the Milky Way, which is...you get the idea. Related Lesson
What if the next wave of spacecraft were small enough to fit into our pockets? This video describes the future of microspacecraft, and how scientists at NASA are hoping to use micropropulsion to launch tiny vessels outside of Earth’s orbit.
Open Access Textbooks
Although these textbooks are written for first year college students, teachers may find them useful for introducing concepts.
