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educational applets

Here are some Java applets that give you a chance to explore some scientific principles the same way a professional scientist does: by messing around with a system that exhibits the principle. The main difference is that these systems are all simulated -- they exist only on your computer. But they are quite realistic, in the sense that their properties are calculated carefully by accurate and modern scientific methods. Indeed, simulations such as these form an important modern scientific research tool.

Each applet comes with instructions and commentary.

The Happy Molecules

A demonstration of the ``illusory'' nature of irreversibility.

Chemical Kinetics Simulation

A simulation of a chemical reaction demonstrating the nature of dynamic equilibrium.

The Second Law

A simulation of a bouncing crystal that illustrates both the first and second laws of thermodynamics.

The Ideal Atmosphere

A simulation of the Earth's atmosphere illustrates the Boltzmann distribution.

The Particle in the Box

A perennial introductory quantum mechanical system.