http://www.compadre.org/informal/ The latest material additions to the Physics To Go. en-US Copyright 2013, ComPADRE.org editor@physicstogo.org editor@physicstogo.org Wed, 01 May 2013 11:50:16 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.compadre.org/portal/services/images/LogoSmallInformal.gif http://www.compadre.org/informal/ 125 35 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12079 This website provides an interactive exploration of the physics of microscopic systems, from the scale of a centimeter to the structure of the atomic nucleus. Three example "nano-journeys" are provided into a human cell, a light-emitting diode, and a computer memory chip. Each stage of a journey explores structures a factor of 10 smaller than the previous stage. High-resolution digital photography, scanning electron microscopy, and computer animations are used to depict the structures at the various levels. The website also provides background information at each level about the physics, engineering, and biology of the structures studied. The size of the structures at each level are compared to a meter by analogy with the relative sizes of the Earth and common objects. General Physics/Measurement/Units/Scaling http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12079 Wed, 01 May 2013 11:50:16 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12079 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12736 The Environmental Protection Agency website provides an overview of climate change for students. It includes the sections Learn the Basics, See the Impact, Think like a Scientist, and Be Part of the Solution. Text and colorful illustrations and graphs present the ideas. Other Sciences/Geoscience http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12736 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:04:07 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12736 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12734 This Earth Observatory webpage provides a description of how global warming will affect sea ice and precipitation. Also, the text describes the “positive feedback” through which melting of ice sheets or glaciers can increase the rate of global warming. This webpage is part of NASA's large Earth Observatory collection of features, images, global maps, and news items. Other Sciences/Geoscience http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12734 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:48:45 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12734 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12733 This HyperPhysics webpage contains information and diagrams on global warming, the greenhouse effect, and greenhouse gases. Numerous graphs and diagrams illustrate the measurements and concepts. Also, this page displays the famous "Keeling curve" showing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration versus time from 1958 to 2004. This page page is part of the HyperPhysics Collection, which contains many short, illustrated pages on various areas of physics and astronomy. Other Sciences/Geoscience http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12733 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:21:22 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12733 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12731 This interactive NASA webpage displays images of Arctic ice in 1980 and 2012. To facilitate comparison, the visitor can sweep a vertical line from left to right to reveal all of one image or all of the other. Text provides information about the rate of loss of ice and how it is defined. Other Sciences/Geoscience http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12731 Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:51:35 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12731 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12680 This NASA Earth Observatory webpage hosts two images of a solar prominence, one seen against the sun itself, and the other seen at the edge of the Sun. Text describes the prominence and also gives background information about the spacecraft that captured the images. Astronomy/The Sun/Solar Structure http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12680 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:32:42 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12680 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12677 This colorful Hyperphysics page describes solar flares and prominences and features an image of a particularly large prominence, which is described in the text. The page supplies information on how prominences form. Astronomy/The Sun/Magnetic Activity http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12677 Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:16:34 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12677 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12675 This website provides basic information about the sun, including the source of its energy, the names of its parts, and the matter it gives off. An interactive feature, Sun Stats, includes a diagram of the solar system and an animation of the sun's surface. Astronomy/The Sun http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12675 Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:32:02 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12675 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12604 This Kitchen Sink Experiment by The Naked Scientists is an activity in making "antibubbles," which are the opposite of "ordinary" bubbles (a thin spherical film of air, and water within and without). Brief text tells what to do, and images and two videos show some of the results. Also, text and a diagram provided an explanation of the physics and chemistry. Fluid Mechanics/Statics of Fluids/Density and Buoyancy http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12604 Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:35:44 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12604 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12603 The 2012 Gallery of Fluid Motion presents a selection of the best images in that year from the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics. Along with each image is additional information explaining the physics and also telling how the image was made. Fluid Mechanics/General http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12603 Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:48:27 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12603 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12602 This collection showcases the work of artist Corrie White, who has combined photographic techniques, use of different liquids, and precise production of drops to produce striking and original images of drops and soap films. Her work has been featured on the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics 2012 Image Gallery. The site includes a link to tutorials that present her methods. Fluid Mechanics/General http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12602 Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:41:30 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12602 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=1649 This site contains a set of optical illusions designed to show the biases and perception tricks users' minds play on them while looking at different pictures. Optics/General http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=1649 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 10:56:42 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=1649 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=3274 This simulation illustrates the behavior of standing waves in situation where one end fixed, both ends are fixed, and both ends are free. The simulation allows the user to examine the standing wave behavior at the fundamental frequency and when the first three harmonics are added. The user can control the amplitude of each of the harmonics and observe the resulting pattern. Oscillations & Waves/Wave Motion/Standing Waves http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=3274 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 10:52:33 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=3274 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=3213 This java simulation illustrates magnetic induction in a wire coil. The user can move a magnet in and out along the axis of a coil while a galvanometer shows the current induced in the coil. The deflection depends on the speed at which the coil moves. This is part of a large collection of similar illustrations on electricity and magnetism. Electricity & Magnetism/Inductance http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=3213 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 10:27:57 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=3213 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=11553 This online collection provides a wide range of short physics demonstration videos. The videos are designed to help students visualize the physical principles of common physical systems and experiments. Topics include motion, waves, electricity and magnetism, collisions, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics. The videos are 1-4 minutes in length with brief text information about the demonstration, equipment, and physical concepts illustrated. They may be viewed in a browser or downloaded. General Physics/Collections/Introductory Mechanics http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=11553 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 10:26:49 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=11553 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=11683 This online exhibit explores the discovery of laser technology. It combindes audio clips with archival photos to provide a context for understanding the impact of lasers. The exhibit explores more than the technology. It includes history of the competition to create the original laser as well as the social impact of this innovation. Links are provided to information and tutorials that introduce the physics of lasers to audiences with little or no background in the subject. Optics/Modern Optics/Lasers http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=11683 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 10:26:06 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=11683 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12229 This blog post on Bad Astronomy explains how the odds of being killed by a meteorite (or asteroid) are much greater than the odds of only being hit by one. The article also describes what might be done to prevent a large asteroid from killing everyone on Earth. Astronomy/Solar System/Meteors http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12229 Tue, 01 Jan 2013 10:24:47 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12229 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12566 This page from Atmospheric Optics host a photograph of the aurora over Norway. Text provides descriptions of auroras, where they can be seen, and other information. Other Sciences/Geoscience http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12566 Mon, 31 Dec 2012 11:17:44 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12566 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12556 This Astronomy Picture of the Day captured an aurora from the ground in Antarctica. Also in the frame are buildings housing scientific instruments. Text and links provide further information. Other Sciences/Geoscience http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12556 Tue, 25 Dec 2012 13:22:14 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12556 http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12554 This site hosts a composite NASA image of the southern lights Aurora over the South Pole. A link enables visitors to view a video of this aurora. The image of the Aurora is overlaid on a NASA “Blue Marble” image also captured by satellite. Text describes the distortion of Earth’s magnetic field by the stream of protons and electrons from the sun. Astronomy/Solar System/Earth http://www.compadre.org/informal/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=12554 Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:59:39 EST http://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=12554