AAPT Digi Kits are specially selected multimedia collections that bring together the work of many authors, content developers, editors, and peer reviewers. The goal of the Digi Kits is to promote interdisciplinary explorations that integrate physics with life science, chemistry, and Earth/space science in a format that blends modeling, hands-on investigation, video, and interactive digital representations.
The AAPT Digi Kits are curated, edited, and annotated by Caroline Hall, managing editor and eBook developer for the AAPT and the ComPADRE Digital Libraries in Physics Education.
Please contact chall@aapt.org with questions, suggestions, or to report errors.
Relevant Links:
ComPADRE Digital Libraries in Physics Education
The Lens Science Digi Kit was inspired by four articles in The Physics Teacher journal. The idea for the "Gelatin Lenses" lesson came from two articles: "Edible Optics: Using Gelatin to Demonstrate Properties of Light", by Patrick Bunton, and "Construction of Optical Elements with Gelatin", by Mario Branca and Isabella Soletta. The "Water Pearls" lesson came from an additional two articles: "Physics Fun with Jelly Marbles", by Gordon Gore, and "Water Pearls Optics Challenges for Everyone", by Marina Milner-Bolatin.
The turn-key Lesson Plan with Assessment was authored by AAPT K12 Program Manager Rebecca Vieyra.
Special thanks go out to the following people and organizations:
- Todd Timberlake and Wolfgang Christian for the "Solar and Lunar Eclipse Model" and the "Phases of Moon Model"
- NASA Total Eclipse 2017
- The Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project (NAAP) for its "Lunar Phases" digital lab
- The PhET Project for its "Gravity and Orbits" simulation
- Brian Libby, Ben Davis High School teacher, for his Student Guide for PhET "Gravity and Orbits"
- Andrew Fraknoi, Astronomy Chair at Foothill College; David Morrison, senior scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, and Sidney Wolff, Emeritus Director of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, for their publication, Astronomy, an OpenStax textbook
- Mikolai Sawicki, author of The Physics Teacher article, "Using the Solar Eclipse to Estimate Earth's Distance from the Moon"
- NASA Heliophysics Education Consortium
- NOVA and WGBH for the video excerpt from "Eclipse of the Century"
- PBS Learning Media for Crash Course Astronomy: Eclipses
- Penn State-Schuylkill and PBS Learning Media for the animation "Shadows, Lunar Phases, and Eclipses"
- NASA Goddard Media for its Lunar Eclipse Collection
- Stephen Hawking, physicist and author of Genius: Where Are We: Solar Eclipse
- University of Cambridge Archives for its digital image "Passage of Shadow of the Moon over England, 1715"
- NASA Glenn Research Center for its learning module, "How High Is It?"
- NASA-CONNECT for its "Path of Totality" learning module
- University of Texas UTeach Outreach Project for its full learning cycle, "Gravity and Orbits-Middle School"
- Andrew Cloud and Barbara Brochstein for hosting the PBS Learning Media professional development video, "Teaching Planetary Sciences - Eclipses"
- Diana Cowern, for her Physics Girl video titled, "What's the Difference Between a Solar and Lunar Eclipse?"
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for its Math Challenge collections
- Andrew Fraknoi, author of "An Observer's Guide to Viewing the 2017 Eclipse"
- GreatAmericanEclipse.com for its state-by-state maps of the 2017 Eclipse pathway