Principal Sponsors
Makes grants to address the most serious social and environmental problems facing society, where risk capital, responsibly invested, may make a difference over time.
National Science Foundation
An independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science.
King Saud University seeks to become a leader in educational and technological innovation, scientific discovery and creativity through fostering an atmosphere of intellectual inspiration and partnership for the prosperity of society.
The O'Donnell Foundation is devoted to building model programs to enhance the quality of education.
The Ramp
| Explore forces, energy and work as you push household objects up and down a ramp. Lower and raise the ramp to see how the angle of inclination affects the parallel forces acting on the file cabinet. Graphs show forces, energy and work. |
Teaching Resources
Main Topics
- Force
- Energy
- Work
Sample Learning Goals
- Explain the motion of an object on an incline plane by drawing free body diagrams.
- Calculate the net force on an object on an incline.
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.
Teaching Ideas
| Title | Authors | Level | Type | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Concept questions for Physics using PhET (Inquiry Based)
|
Trish Loeblein | UG-Intro HS |
CQs | 7/7/13 |
|
Algebra-based Physics Semester one lessons, clicker questions, and schedule in pdf (Inquiry Based)
|
Trish Loeblein | UG-Intro HS |
HW Demo CQs Lab |
7/20/13 |
| The Ramp Mechanical Advantage and Efficiency | Tim Perry | MS | Lab | 11/1/13 |
| Work - Energy | Sarah Stanhope | HS | Lab | 1/27/11 |
| Forces in 1 and 2 Dimensions | Sarah Stanhope | HS | Lab | 1/27/11 |
| Ramp Simulation Activity | Drew Isola | HS | CQs | 1/11/09 |
| The Ramp PhET Lab | Chris Bires | HS | Lab | 8/4/10 |
| Intro to energy | Leslie Trexler | MS | Lab | 5/5/08 |
| The Ramp--Conservation of Energy | Chris Cochran | MS | Lab | 9/20/07 |
You can submit your own ideas and activities.
Translated Versions:
Software Requirements
| Windows | Macintosh | Linux |
|---|---|---|
|
Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7 Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
OS 10.5 or later
Sun Java 1.5.0_19 or later |
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
|---|---|---|
|