Web watch

To suggest topics or sites for Web Watch, please visit http://www.physicstoday.org/suggestwebwatch.html . Compiled and edited by Charles Day

http://www.vuw.ac.nz/scps-demos

Like their colleagues around the world, physics teachers in New Zealand struggle to engage their pupils in a tough but rewarding science. The New Zealand Physics Teachers’ Resource Bank offers nearly 100 demonstrations, both online and offline, to meet that challenge.

http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/camphy

Since 1874, students and researchers at the University of Cambridge have done experiments at the Cavendish Laboratory. The lab’s outreach website offers a tour of the lab’s museum and information about current research and future plans.

http://www.funderstanding.com/k12/coaster

The testing services company Funderstanding has created an online Roller Coaster simulator. The Java applet lets you adjust the heights of the hills, the mass of the vehicle, and other quantities to make the ride more or less thrilling or even dangerous. Children can use the simulator to learn about concepts in classical mechanics. Adult physicists can use it to test their intuition.