PhysicsLAB
PhysicsLAB's instructional materials are categorized into three course levels within 26 topic areas and the following curriculum groups:
Our search engine will allow you to locate curriculum by course, curriculum group, topic, skill, and keyword.
When using the search engine, if you are just generally exploring our available resources, your search should start as general as possible. The more "criteria" you specify, the narrower the results.

To further assist students and teachers with the mathematics needed to work problems within each topic area, a topic search will produce not only a listing of content in PhysicsLAB but also a link to lessons, StudyAids, and practice pages in AlgebraLAB that might be useful in reviewing or reinforcing essential math skills.
An all-inclusive listing of PhysicsLAB's original curriculum can be reached through CurriculumGuide, a companion website to the first edition.

To assist you will locating supporting materials, at the bottom of each page you will find a listing of Related Documents Related Documents. When clicked, this list presents labs, resource lessons, worksheets, and review sheets that share the same topic(s) as the content being studied on the current page.

Directions for Resource Lessons
Over 180 resource lessons are available spanning the content in the 26 topic areas. Within a lesson, the right arrow-button Example signifies that an interactive example follows.

Most examples not only have answers Answer provided, but also include a complete solution Solution. If a textbox follows the question, then you must first supply your own answer prior to being able to view the correct answer.

When a question asks for information that is difficult to enter into a text box, it is not necessary to input an exact answer to be able to check the correct answer. You just need to enter a partial answer in the blank to trigger the answer being posted back to the page.

Interactive examples are critical to the development of each lesson's topic. Therefore it is important that all examples within a lesson be completed as the lesson is being studied. Often information that will make the difference between understanding versus confusion is provided within each answer and solution.

Resource lessons have unrestricted access.
Directions for Worksheets
Over 350 worksheets are available in PhysicsLAB. In addition to worksheets specifically designed to accompany each resource lesson, worksheets from the following compilations are also included: Amusing Problems in Physics, Conceptual Physics Workbooks and NextTime Questions, AAPT exams, and the New York Physics Regents exams.

Beginning in the fall of 2009, a new type of worksheet was introduced - Random Number Drills. Students often need and want additional practice on classic problem types. To address that need, this application involve a series of practice problems with randomly generated values. Unfortunately the content of these pages is not searchable; but they can be reached through a link called Random Number Drills under Compilations on the sidebar.

On a worksheet, the hint button Hint signifies that a hint is available to help the student start the problem.

Worksheet problems come in three varieties:
  • If the question is fill in the blank, the answer Answer is available as soon as the student submits his first answer.
  • If the question is multiple choice, the student must continue answering the question until the correct answer Correct Answer has been selected.
  • If the question is comprised of check boxes, the student must continue answering the question until all of the correct answers Correct Answer have been selected.
As in resource lessons, most problems not only have answers Answer provided, but they also include a complete solution Solution.

Answers can be checked at any point in the student's progress through the exercises. They do not need to wait until the entire set is finished. In fact, the interactivity of the page is specifically designed to instantaneously allow them to know if they are correctly answering each question. As long as the student has supplied an initial answer, "View Correct Answers" may be clicked at any time.

When questions are presented in question groups they either share a common set of directions or a common piece of background information - for example, a graph or diagram. Students should be warned that in the second type of question groups, their ability to complete subsidiary questions often involves knowing the correct answer to previous questions. It is therefore encouraged that they "View Correct Answers" as often as necessary to insure that they are comprehending the material.

When a question asks for information that is difficult to enter into a text box, answering conventions must be agreed upon between the assigning teacher and their students. As far as the programming is concerned, it is not necessary to input an exact answer to be able to view the answer. You just need to enter a partial answer in the blank to trigger the answer being posted back to the page.

Interactive examples are critical to the mastery of each worksheet. Therefore it is important that all examples within an assignment be completed. Often information that will make the difference between understanding versus confusion is provided within each answer and solution.
Usage and Copyright

 
Catharine H. Colwell retains full ownership rights on PhysicsLAB including, but not necessarily limited to, all text passages, images, animations, and videos unless otherwise credited to other sites.

You are allowed to link to any part of this site as long as the ownership and authorship of this site and its contents are credited to Catharine H. Colwell.

You may not download this site for presentation as your own material, nor may you mirror or frame this site or hotlink its content in any manner. No PhysicsLAB resource lessons, worksheets, drill and practice pages, labs, videos, animations, or images may be installed on any server other than that contracted by Catharine H. Colwell without express prior written permission.

Catharine H. Colwell retains all rights to derivative works, whether in English or in any other language, and to any profits to be derived from this or its derivative works.



* The following special resources have been included with either the permission of the author or publisher: CP Workbook pages, NextTime Questions, Amusing Problems, physlets, Direct Measurement Videos, NC Exam Questions, NY Regents Exams, MCAS Introductory Physics Exams, and AAPT tests.
PhysicsLAB
Copyright © 1997-2024
Catharine H. Colwell
All rights reserved.
Application Programmer
    Mark Acton
AlgebraLAB
Copyright © 2003-2024
All rights reserved.
Application Programmers
    Mark Acton
    Jeremy R. Blawn
Project Director
    Catharine H. Colwell

CCTT
USDOE Challenge Grant
Copyright © 1997-2003
All rights reserved.
Project Director
    Marshall Ransom