Build a Virtual Science Lab With PhET

By Andy Harris
Math instruction and science instruction are important parts of any school curriculum. Some
science topics cannot be taught easily without a laboratory, but there are some terrific resources
online to help homeschooled families build their own surprisingly complete virtual science lab
entirely for free.
The University of Colorado at Boulder houses an incredible free resource of laboratory simulators
that can enhance your curriculum tremendously. These tools can help make science come alive
and equip you and your kids to perform science experiments safely without the expense of
investing in a full laboratory. This month, we explore some of the many wonderful applications
available on that site.
The PhET project (PhET once stood for Physics Education Technology, but theyve branched into
many other areas of science, so now the name is no longer an acronym for anything) is a series of
powerful and interesting applications that let you experiment with various aspects of science.
These applications were written from a university perspective, so they tend to be geared toward
older age groups, but they are quite open-ended, and a number of these applications can be used
by younger ages.
These are not really self-contained lessons but rather are laboratory environments. They were
designed so that teachers and parents could write lab exercises and complete them by using these
tools. Each of the applications has a number of user-created lab exercises associated with it. You
can use these assignments or create your own. If open-ended exploration is more your style,
youll have plenty to investigate.
The applications are written in browser-friendly technologies (Java, Flash, and Flex), so if you
have a reasonably modern web browser, you will probably be able to run the applications with no
problems. Unfortunately, they do not work on tablets or mobile devices. All of the apps can be
downloaded so you can use them off-line if you have a slow connection. You can even order a CDROM or DVD containing all of the apps, making them available without an Internet connection at
all.
The main PhET page can be found at phet.colorado.edu This page allows you to navigate the apps
by topic or age level. You can run the simulations directly in your browser from this site:
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/new.
There are dozens of simulations here, but Ill highlight a few of my favorites.
Electricity
The site includes a number of tool benches that allow you to build and test circuits without setting
the house on fire. Some of the toolsets also include virtual meters to help more advanced
students study more advanced topics, such as voltage and amperage or the difference between
DC and AC circuits. Other tools illustrate concepts in electricity in an easy-to-visualize way.
AC / DC Construction Kit: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-ac. A
complete AC and DC simulator with capacitors inductors and graphical meters. Build your own
circuit with switches and light bulbs.
Basic Circuit Construction Kit: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dcvirtual-lab. A simpler lab suitable for late elementary and middle school experimentation.
John Travoltage: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/travoltage. A hilarious simulation of static
electricity, featuring an online puppet of John Travolta. Move Johns feet on the carpet and see

how static electricity builds up in his body; then touch his finger to the doorknob to see and hear
a jolt. This is ideally used along with real-world exploration of static electricity, even for younger
students.
Balloons and Static Electricity: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/balloons. After doing real-world
experiments with balloons sticking to walls with static electricity, use this app to demonstrate the
charges and to explain how static electricity works. Terrific for an elementary science class.
Light
There are a couple of interesting apps that allow you to experiment with light and color. These can
be appropriate for younger grades, although there are certainly physics concepts to understand
with these apps as well.
Color Vision: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/color-vision. This app explores the additive color
model used in computing (which is different than the subtractive color model used in traditional
art). See how light of different frequencies combines to create new colors.
Bending Light: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/bending-light. Explore refraction and reflection.
Some experiments are suitable for younger students, and more advanced students will be able to
experiment with the refraction properties of various materials.
Geometric Optics: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/geometric-optics. Explore how various
lenses bend light to enlarge, shrink, and reverse images.
Chemistry
The basic principles of chemistry can be difficult to understand, but these interactive tools make it
much easier to visualize the relationships between subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules.
Build an Atom: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-an-atom. Given bowls full of neutrons,
electrons, and protons, fit the particles into an atomic diagram. As you build an atom, you can see
where it lies on the periodic table. Observe how various atoms are grouped on the periodic table,
how isotopes are formed, and what makes an atom stable.
Build a Molecule: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-a-molecule. You are given a series of
atoms, and youre challenged to build a molecule, based on its chemical name. Really helps
students see how atoms fit together to form common molecules.
Reactants, Products, and Leftovers: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/reactants-products-andleftovers. Begin by making sandwiches, and discover how ingredients can be combined to make
various sandwiches. Then see how this relates to chemical equations.
Balancing Chemical Equations: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/balancing-chemical-equations.
Given a chemical equation, drag and drop parts of atoms to make the equation balance. Helps to
visualize one of the most important concepts in chemistry.
Sound
Sound: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/sound. Place a speaker and a listener in a room and
play sounds of various frequencies and amplitudes. Visualize the frequency and amplitude while
listening (on headphones if you value your relationship with the rest of the family), and see how
interference from multiple speakers alters the sound, as well as how sound bounces off of walls.
FourierMaking waves: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/fourier. This app allows you to build
complex waveforms by adding sine waves of various frequencies. You can build extremely

complex waveforms and listen to them over a speaker. Includes a game that provides a complex
waveform and challenges you to recreate it.
Physics
The library was generated by a physics department, so its not surprising that it has especially
good physics applications.
Energy Skate Park: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park. Draw a complicated
curve on the screen, and watch a skater maneuver your virtual skate park. Great fun for younger
kids, and it demonstrates gravity, momentum, and forces for older students.
The Ramp: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/the-ramp. Freebody diagrams are a staple of most
physics classes. This interactive version allows you to set various parameters and then see if your
calculations match the performance of the simulation.
Gravity and Orbits: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gravity-and-orbits. Examine the solar
system and see how gravitational forces affect orbits. Learn how orbits work, and modify the
variables that affect the strength of gravitational attraction.
Lunar Lander: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/lunar-lander. One of the oldest computer games
ever written, the basic problems of landing a spacecraft without air resistance is still fascinating.
This realistic version is quite difficult but a lot of fun.
Projectile Motion: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/projectile-motion. Of course it wouldnt be
science if we didnt shoot things out of cannons. This classic app allows you to fire various
projectiles while changing the mass, angle, and initial velocity. Most of us will simply want to
crash cars, but a physics student should be able to calculate the time and distance, based on
initial parameters, and then check her work.
Math
Mathematics is often seen as a dull field, but this is really not fair. There is a lot to explore in
math, and these apps are pretty fun.
Arithmetic: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/arithmetic. This nice drill-and-practice tool helps
you practice multiplication, division, and factoring skills while providing a visualization that helps
you see the relationship between these operations.
Plinko Probability: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/plinko-probability. The game of Plinko is
interesting because it demonstrates a number of principles of statistics, and it naturally tends to
build a normal Gaussian curve. Students can learn about probability with this app and maybe get
an advantage at the next carnival they attend.
Equation Grapher: phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/equation-grapher. One of the most
interesting things students learn in algebra is the visual representation of equations, yet students
often struggle with graphing. This tool makes it easy for students to visualize various functions
and gain a more intuitive feel for the relationship between functions and real-world phenomena.
I have highlighted only a small number of applications on this site. There are many more,
including an app to experiment with vectors and acceleration (its irresistibleits got a game
called the arena of pain) to programs that allow you to investigate quantum mechanics, torque,
advanced chemistry, calculus, and more.
If you have a computer and an Internet connection, PhET gives you a science lab at home!

Andy Harris is a homeschool dad, father of four great kids, and husband to the greatest
homeschool teacher ever. He has taught all ages of students, from kindergarten to university
level. Andy is the author of a number of well-known books, including HTML/XHTML/CSS: All in
One for Dummies, Game ProgrammingThe Line, PHP6/MySQL Programming for the Absolute
Beginner, and Beginning Flash Game Programming for Dummies. For more information about his
books, to see where he is speaking next, or to just say hi, please stop by his website:
www.aharrisbooks.net
Copyright 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in the
October 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, the family education magazine. Read the
magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free apps at
www.TOSApps.com to read the magazine on your mobile devices.

118 October 2012