Catalog of Simulations
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Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions
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Results of Isotope Calculation Role of Free Radicals in Chain Reactions Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment |
Atom Builder
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/atom
Students can construct a carbon
atom through this simulation. They start with a hydrogen atom, which contains
one proton and one electron. All
they must do is add protons, neutrons, and electrons. They must also
build each proton and neutron from two types of quarks—up quarks
and down quarks.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #9
Chemical Data
http://www.chemsoc.org/viselements
This visual periodic table from the Royal Chemical Society has a timeline
that provides a history of chemical discoveries from the late 1700s to
the present. Select Periodic Table, then select any element in the table.
Select Chemical Data (HTML or PDF) and scroll to Key Isotopes. Half-life
and relative abundance are noted.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #7
Crystalline Solids
http://www.molsci.ucla.edu/pub/explorations.html#Crystalline%20Solids
This program provides easily manipulated three-dimensional models of
fundamental crystal structures. Students can turn and rotate either single-
or multiple-unit cells of any of the 14 Bravis lattice structures. They
can toggle between structures where the atoms are represented by small
spheres, similar to ball-and-stick models, or large spheres, which simulate
the space-filling nature of the atoms in a crystal. Close-packed cubic
and hexagonal structures provide the additional features of studying
interstitial sites/holes or close-packed planes and slip planes. Software
is provided on the site. This program was developed by the chemistry
department at UCLA.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #4
Electrons in Energy Levels
http://www.chemicalelements.com
This simulation is an interactive periodic table of the elements. The
Atomic Structure section shows the number of electrons in each energy
level for each of the elements.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #6
Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions
http://schools.matter.org.uk/Content/Reactions/BondActivation.html
In this
simulation developed by The MATTER project from Liverpool John Moores
University, students can manipulate sliders to illustrate bond energy,
manipulate sliders on a graph to show activation energy, and
take
a quiz
to test their knowledge about exothermic and endothermic reactions based
on the simulations.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #10
Homogeneous Catalysis
http://xeon.concord.org:8080/modeler/webstart/MW.jnlp
Before opening this link, you must first have JAVA 1.4.2. You can download it free at http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp.
Under “Library of Models,” go to “Chemical reaction kinetics,” and then go to “Homogeneous catalysis.” In this simulation, students observe and gain understanding of reactions with and without a catalyst. They are asked to write down and explain the results of observing the simulations. This program runs on JAVA 1.4.2 and is produced by the Concord Consortium as part of a National Science Foundation grant.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #12
Kinetics
http://mvhs1.mbhs.edu/mvhsproj/kinetics/kinetics.html
This simulation from the Maryland Virtual High School of Science and
Mathematics has students observe the effect of temperature on the rate
of reaction. Students compare graphs of two different rate constants.
The simulation requires STELLA software, downloadable from the site.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #11
Nuclear Decay
http://mvhs1.mbhs.edu/mvhsproj/nuclear/nuclear.html
The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the concept
of radioactive decay and half-life. Students create a model using the
STELLA software provided by the site to represent a removal of 1/2, 1/3,
or 1/6 of the dice from a sample of 1,000 dice. They then transfer the
learning from the activity and the graphs that they have created to a
real radioactive isotope, P-32.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #8
Particle Adventure
http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure
Particle Adventure has
nine chapters and a glossary to help student with new terminology. It is
an interactive tour of quarks, neutrinos,
antimatter, and particle detectors from the Particle Data Group of the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Among the simulations is one where
students can analyze the shape of a “target” from a deflected
probe particle.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #9
Periodic Table 3D
http://www.webelements.com
This periodic table was compiled by Sheffield University. It includes
types of compounds formed by each element and opportunities for students
to explore and compare the variety of types of compounds. Students can
view the three-dimensional molecular structure of a sample of compounds.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #5
Periodic Table Reactions
http://www.chemicool.com
This periodic table has a description of each element and a Reactions
section, which shows reactivity with specific acids and bases and the
products that result from the reactions.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #5
Protein Structure
http://www.molsci.ucla.edu/pub/explorations.html
This interactive simulation allows students to view the primary, secondary,
and tertiary structures of various proteins and amino acids. The various
display types include ball and stick models as well as wire frame, space-filling,
backbone, and ribbons. CHIME software can be downloaded from the site,
which was developed at UCLA.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #14
Radioactive Isotopes
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/isotopes/radioactive_decay3.html
This interactive applet allows students to choose from 16 different
radioactive isotopes of elements and watch a sample of atoms change color
as they decay. At the same instant, a graph shows the number of atoms
of each type (initial element and final element) as they decay in real
time.
http://www.webelements.com
Select an element from the periodic table. Go to the Nuclear Properties
section in the left-hand margin and select Radioisotopes. Students are
presented with all of the isotopes of that element, as well as the mass,
half-life, and mode of decay of each, including references to further
information such as Table of the Nuclides.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #8
Results of Isotope Calculation
http://www.shef.ac.uk/chemistry/chemputer/
This Web site from the University
of Sheffield will calculate the percentage of each possible isotope for
each element. Under Index of Calculators,
click on Isotope Patterns, then type in an element’s symbol or
the formula for a chemical compound, and the program does the calculation.
(Note: It’s case sensitive.)
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #7
Role of Free Radicals in Chain Reactions
http://xeon.concord.org:8080/modeler/webstart/MW.jnlp
Before opening this link, you must first have JAVA 1.4.2. You can download it free at http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp.
Under “Library of Models,” go to “Chemical reaction kinetics,” and then go to “The role of free radicals in chain reactions.” In this simulation, students observe the role a free radical takes in a chain reaction. Ball-and-stick models are used. Students can make note of the reaction times. Go back to “Explosions” then “Heat can cause explosions,” and students can note that as bonds are broken, energy is released. Students can speed the creation of the “new molecules.” Shading can be used to show differences in kinetic energy as the reaction proceeds. This program runs on JAVA 1.4.2 and is produced by the Concord Consortium as part of a National Science Foundation grant.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #16
Rutherford Experiment
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/electromag/java/rutherford
This site includes the classic Rutherford experiment, which simulates
the diffraction of alpha particles (helium nuclei containing two positive
charges) by a thin foil made of gold metal. Students can control the
slit width of the lead block and observe what happens to the stream of
particles. The results lead students to consider the possibility that
most of an atom is empty space, with the exception of the dense positively
charged nucleus. This simulation is one of the interactive programs produced
by Florida State University within the electricity and magnetism site
of their Molecular Expressions program.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #1
Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment
http://mvhs1.mbhs.edu/mvhsproj/rutherford/rutherford.html
By varying the position of the bombarded nucleus and the energy of the
particles, students simulate the original Rutherford gold foil experiment.
To run the simulation, students need STELLA software, which can be downloaded
from the site. This Maryland Virtual High School of Science and Mathematics
program encourages students to work in teams to solve problems related
to the simulation.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #1
Sodium and Chlorine Reaction
http://visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?c3=&mid=55
To see a simulation of sodium reacting with chlorine, scroll down on
the page to Ionic Bonding. There is also a simulation of covalent bonding
between hydrogen atoms to form diatomic hydrogen. FLASH graphics software
is required, and can be downloaded for free. In addition to the simulations,
students can see diagrams of sodium chlorine crystals and Lewis dot structures
for the first 10 elements in the periodic table. The site, authored by
Anthony Carpi and Jessica Zimmer, is supported by a grant from the National
Science Foundation.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #15
Temperature Change for Change of State Shows Periodicity
http://www.ktf-split.hr/~eni/toys/pse-e.html
Once downloaded, students can change the temperature and observe whether
different elements change state. From this, students can discern a
pattern among elements.
The software required, EniG, is provided at the site from the University
of Split in Croatia. The section on the site labeled Periodic table of
the elements
contains basic data about the elements in 7 languages: Croatian, English,
French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #2
Water-Proton Transfer
http://titanium.fullerton.edu/mcweb/about/anim.htm
This is an animated tutorial that allows students to view a three-dimensional
model of a water molecule and demonstrates the three ways of proton
transfer and three vibrational modes. Scroll down on the page to
System Animations, and click on Water. The site is from California State
University,
Fullerton. Macromedia Shockwave software is provided.
Aligns with McREL Physical Sciences Standard 8: #5
Disclaimer:
The Web resources collected on these pages are not maintained by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). None of the Web resources are affiliated with or sponsored by EDC. EDC is merely providing the Web resources for informational purposes. EDC cannot guarantee that the Web resources are active or that the content is accurate. As with all Web-based information, links change from time to time. To our knowledge, all links were functional as of January 2005. Please notify Kerry Ouellet at kouellet@edc.org if you experience any problems.
