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Other Physics Links
Moving Man Applet:
Cool Java Applet that
plots position, velocity, and acceleration vs. time.
Useful Sites
A
Dictionary of Units: definitions of
units and how to convert between different units
HowStuffWorks:
wanna know how a car engine works? Look here.
HyperPhysics: AWESOME reference for
all levels of physics - check it out!
Imagine the
Universe: information about our
universe including interactive activities
Math
and Physics Symbol Gifs: gifs of
useful math and physics symbols (useful for websites)
Physics Central:
weekly physics feature magazine
Physics
Time-Line: history of physics from 545
B.C. to 2000
PhysLink:
daily physics and astronomy news
Questions of the Week: physics
question of the week from The University of Maryland
Study Tips for Intro Physics Students:
tips for how to succeed in physics
The
Laws List: alphabetical list of laws
and principles of physics
The Physics
Classroom: AWESOME! - useful
explanations and animations (intro level)
The
Physics Zone: usefule reference for
intro physics including many animated lessons
Treasure Trove of Physics:
alphabetical list of physics definitions and equations
The light blue square is 300x300 pixels - 90,000 pixels total.
Each pixel can exist
in one of two states, light blue, or dark blue (the dark blue
square is just the dual
of the light blue). Each time cycle a single pixel will switch
states. Once the square
has changed from its initial state (all pixels light blue - very
low probability state),
it is virtually impossible that it will ever spontaneously
revert. Most states are
in the roughly 50-50 region (ie., 50% light blue, and 50% dark).
These high probability
states have the highest entropy.
It is not surprising that entropy changes are largest when the
system is in a low probability
state. This is somewhat analogous to adding heat (Q) to an ideal
gas kept at a constant
volume. Adding heat raises the temperature. At any given moment
the increase in entropy, dS,
due to added heat, dQ, is dS = dQ/T. So (dS/dt) = (dQ/dt)/T. If
the rate that heat is
added (dQ/dt) is a constant, then the rate of entropy increase (dS/dt)
is highest when
T is smallest. At constant volume, dQ/T is proportional to dQ/Q,
the fractional increase
in heat, which is in a sense the fractional increase in gas
aggitation (kinetic energy).
Likewise, the difference of one state (above) to the next is
most marked when the initial state
has a low probability, the anolog of temperature in this case.
The analog of added heat
is just the random change of one pixel's state per cycle.
Probability drives the system
to ever increasing states of agitation, ending for this finite
system when both squares
have roughly equal numbers of on and off pixels. (June 2003)
Interactive Physics Material
Applets by
Paul Falstad: math and physics applets
Explore Science:
interactive activites for exploring physics concepts
Interactive Physics on the Web: links
to interactive physics sites from MTU
JARS Physics Applets: lots of physics
applets (some with available source codes)
Molecular Expressions E&M Applets:
AWESOME interactive electricity and magnetism applets
Molecular Expressions Light and Color Applets:
AWESOME interactive light and color applets
Online
Eductional Resources for Physics Teachers:
hundreds of great applets listed by category
Physics 2000: applets on microwaves,
TV screens, waves, and much more
Physics Animations and Simulations:
list of animations with good descriptions of each
Physics
Illuminations: interactive explanatory
material for kinematics, dynamics, and vectors
Powers of Ten: VERY COOL applet
showing the powers of ten
The Interactive Library: hundreds of
cool physics java applets
Virtual Laboratory:
lots of physics applets covering a wide variety of topics
Physics Fun
DC Physics
Humor: links to all sorts of physics
humor from DC Physics
Physics Fun:
physics cartoons, fun, and more
Soda Constructor: make
a model and bring it to life!
Astronomy
Ask an
Astronomer: have an astronomy
question? Ask an astronomer!
Astronomy Picture of the Day: see a
new astronomical image or photograph every day
Nasa Homepage:
everything NASA
STScI:
homepage
of the Hubble Space Telescope
Random Links (These
sites have nothing to do with physics but are still cool.)
Dilbert.com: get your daily dose of
Dilbert and other comics
Daily
Motivator: a great way to start your
day
Google:
by far the best search engine on the internet
Live 365.com:
hundreds of online amatuer radio stations
Quotations Page: the
largest collection of quotations on the web
Physics Homepage
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