High School Physics Resources
Visual simulations for teaching science to high school students
We've been pioneering the use of technology in science education for 20 years. Here are some of our best free activities, simulations and software tools for teaching physics to high school students.
Brought to you by The Concord Consortium
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Ceramic Forces
Explore what happens when a force is exerted on a ceramic material.
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Charge Intensity
Explore the relationship between charge, electric fields, and forces on objects by manipulating charge.
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Collisions & Kinetic Energy
Explore the energy exchange between colliding objects and observe how energy transfer occurs.
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Concentrating Charge & Electric Fields
Simulate an experiment to distinguish between the plum pudding and hard nucleus model of the atom.
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Conversion of Electric Potential Energy
Explore how potential energy created by particles of varying charge is converted to thermal energy.
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Direction & Strength of Force in Electric Fields
Explore the strength and direction of forces between two charged objects.
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Direction of Force Around a VDG (Negatively Charged)
Observe the direction of forces around a negatively charged Van de Graaff generator.
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Direction of Force on Charged Objects
Drag around a stationary charged object and observe the force on the stationary object when it is positive and negative.
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Electric Current
Explore electric current using interactive models to investigate how temperature affects conductivity and resistivity.
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Electric Potential Energy & Charge Intensity
Set the amount and type of charge on particles and compare the potential energy of the generated electric field.
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Electric Potential Energy & Type of Charge
Set the charge of two particles and compare the potential energy of the generated electric field as they move.
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Electrostatics
A series of interactive models and games explore the effects positive and negative charges have on one another.
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Electrostatics: Maze Game
Apply knowledge of the interactions between charged particles to guide an object through a maze.
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Energy of a Pendulum
Set the initial height of a pendulum and observe how potential, kinetic, and thermal energy change during swings.
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Energy of a Spring
Set the initial position of a mass on a spring and observe how potential, kinetic, and thermal energy change when the spring is released.
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Excited States & Photons
Investigate how atoms can be excited to give off radiation (photons) with models of electron energy diagrams.
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Heat and Temperature
Learn that temperature measures average kinetic energy, and heat is the transfer of energy from hot systems to cold systems.
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Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
Learn basic quantum mechanics concepts about electrons essential to understanding modern technology.
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Motion on a Ramp
In this activity, you will study the motion of an object as it moves up and down a ramp.
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Newton's Laws at the Atomic Scale
Explore how Newton's three laws apply to the world of atoms and molecules.
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Metal Forces
Explore what happens when a force is exerted on a metallic material.
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Parachute and Terminal Velocity
How does an object's speed change as it falls through the atmosphere?
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Pendulum
Explore the factors that affect a pendulum's motion. Which factors affect the period of the pendulum?
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Pendulum and Spring
Explore the motion of a pendulum suspended by a spring.
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Plastic Forces
Explore what happens when a force is exerted on a polymeric plastic material.
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Quantum Tunneling
Delve into a microscopic world working with models that show how electron waves can tunnel through certain types of barriers.
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Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Use a virtual scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to observe electron behavior in an atomic-scale world.
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Semiconductors
Learn about the basic properties of intrinsic and extrinsic--or doped--semiconductors with several visualizations.
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Spectroscopy
A series of interactive models allows you to examine how the energy levels the electrons of an atom occupy affect the types of photons that can be emitted.
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Spring Model
Explore the factors that affect a spring's motion. Experiment by changing the spring constant, the mass at the end of the spring, and other factors.
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Sticking a Balloon to a Wall
Explore the interactions between a charged balloon and a neutral wall at the atomic-level.
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Tire Forces
Explore what happens when a force is exerted on a rubber tire.
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Transistors: The Field Effect
Transistors are the building blocks of modern electronic devices. What exactly does a field effect transistor do?
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Van de Graaff Discharge
Explore how the charging and discharging of a Van de Graaff (VDG) generator occurs and changes in potential energy.
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Visualizing Electric Fields & Forces
Model how electric fields change due to the number and placement of charged objects.
“Wish I learned science this way—far more interesting than reading chapters in a book.”