Physics Today's Web Watch
March 98
http://ippex.pppl.gov/ippex/
IPPEX, the Internet Plasma
Physics Education Experience,
lets high school students analyze data from real fusion experiments
and run their own virtual tokomak. Also included on the site is an
introduction to fusion, interactive physics modules on topics such
as matter and energy and a question-and-answer section. For the most
interesting parts of the site, you'll need a browser that's Shockwave
or Java capable. IPPEX is based at the Princeton Plasma
Physics Laboratory
and is supported by the Center
for Improved Engineering and Science
Education at the Stevens Institute of
Technology in New Jersey.
http://www.space.lockheed.com/YPOP/
Yohkoh Public Outreach
Project. Based around the Yohkoh
satellite's x-ray and gamma-ray studies of the Sun, this site is targeted
at K-12 students and the public in general. The site has numerous
short movies in multiple formats, including the most recent solar
data, comparisons of the Sun in x-ray and white light, studies of
flares and footage of a solar eclipse viewed in x rays. The basics
of magnetic fields and the electromagnetic spectrum are covered, younger
browsers can go "sunbeam surfing" on a hypermedia tour of
the Sun and hands-on classroom activities include studies of the solar
cycle, image filtering, satellite orbits and a build-it-yourself sundial. The
project, funded by NASA, is a collaboration of
Montana State
University and the Lockheed Martin
Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory.
http://web.hep.uiuc.edu/physics_van/van.htm
The Physics
Van travels from the physics department at the University
of Illinois to elementary and middle schools in the Champaign-Urbana
area, where its crew members "perform and explain exciting demonstrations."
Schools
in the area can fill in an on-line form to request a visit by the
Physics Van. Students farther afield can post questions in the Q&A
area, and teachers can look through the numerous demonstration descriptions. The
Physics Van is supported by the University of
Illinois physics department
and the State of Illinois.
