Drag a vector onto the canvas. Drag the arrowhead to change its direction. Repeat up to two more times and guess the direction of the resultant. Click/tap a button and the resultant is drawn. Don't we all wish that adding vectors was that easy. With the Vector Addition Interactive, a learner can improve their understanding and skill at adding vectors using the head-to-tail method.

Now available with a Concept Checker.

Everybody needs exercise. Here's a little vector addition exercise. While you probably won't break a physical sweat, you are certain give those brain cells a workout. Watch a person take a hike and then determine the distance and displacement (both magnitude and direction). Pass from one level to the next as you build your skills and tackle more and more complex motions.

Now available with Task Tracker compatibility. Learn more.

The Name That Vector Interactive is a skill building tool that presents users with 12 vector addition challenges. Twenty-five vectors are displayed on a grid; each challenge involves adding three of the vectors together to determine the resultant. The emphasis of the activity is on component addition. Built-in score-keeping makes this interactive a perfect candidate for a classroom activity.

Now available with Task Tracker compatibility. Learn more.

The Vector Guessing Game will challenge learner's understanding of adding vectors.Two random vectors are displayed and learners must decide on the size and direction of the resultant. Be quick because the timer is counting down. The challenge is to solve as many correctly as possible in 20 seconds. Repeat the process and beat your high score. Challenge your friends; the loser has to do the winner's homework this evening. (Wait, scratch that last idea.)

The Vector Addition: Does Order Matter? Interactive is a short demonstration that focuses on a single question. Users investigate the question: does the order in which vectors are added together affect the magnitude or the direction of the resultant?

Suppose you're crossing a river in a boat. You're in an object (the boat) that is moving and the boat is on an object (the river) that is moving. The two objects move simultaneously but what affect does the river have upon your resulting motion? With this simulation, you can explore this question and many others until your run out of gas. Go ahead - go overboard on it and learn all you can!

Now available with a Concept Checker.

Life was easy when every object moved left or right or up or down. But where's the fun in that? That fact is, objects often move both right or left AND up or down at the same time. And surprisingly, such diagonal motions do not require any different rules or equations. As you soon shall see, the physics of one-dimensional motion is the same physics that is used to analyze objects moving in two dimensions. It's just that you have to do it twice. Tap that link and find out what we're talking about. 

Thanks to Physics teacher Martin Kirby for contributing this simulation to our Physics Interactives collection. You can learn more about the Two Dimensional Motion Simulator app for iOS devices at Mr. Kirby's Google Site.

Sometime during your Physics class you are bound to get frustrated with the "Ignore air resistance" clause. In fact, you might already know what we're talking about. Relief is here. You don't have to ignore air resistance any longer with our Trajectory program. And don't worry about the math because we will take care of that for you. Just tell us about the object that is moving through the air and our Trajectory modeling program will tell you where it will be and when it will be there. Pretty cool stuff. Start exploring.

The variable-rich environment of the Projectile Simulator Interactive allows a learner to explore a variety of questions associated with the trajectory of a projectile. Learners can modify the launch height, the launch angle, and the launch speed and observe the effect upon the trajectory. This Interactive can be used as a purely exploratory activity or be used with an activity sheet that guides learners to an understanding of several important principles associated with projectile motion.

Now available with two Concept Checkers - one for horizontally-launched projectiles and one for angle-launched projectiles.

Launch a projectile at an angle across level ground. Launch a projectile from a cliff horizontally or at any angle towards the ground below. Launch a projectile at an angle from the ground towards a cliff or even over a cliff. But most of all, tap the link and launch this simulation in your browser to explore projectile motion concepts. Its the usual variable-rich simulation contributed by Physics teacher Martin Kirby to our Physics Interactives collection. Thanks to Martin for his contribution. View other great Martin Kirby simulations here.
 

A cannon is launched horizontally from a cliff top and you must determine the cliff height, the original speed, or the target location in order for the cannonball to hit the target. You will get as many tries as you need. You will receive immediate feedback and some guidance as to how to solve the problem. And your progress will be tracked using a system of stars and trophies. It's great practice and great learning.

Now available with Task Tracker compatibility. Learn more.

This is a remake of our popular Shockwave title named Hit the Target. While the basic idea remains the same - use projectile problem-solving skills to win the game - the old target-bombing activity comes alive in HTML5 with a fresh theme. The theme involves preventing Birdman from dropping turds on the school's football field. Capture the nasty filth in buckets before it strikes the turf. With each success, you will fill up your buckets with brown liquid. Be careful because this simulation keeps track of time and if you work too slow you won't want to post your badges in your locker nor in the back window of your car. Finally, be careful because every miss will leak some liquid from your bucket. Do a great job (solve six problems successfully) and do it fast and the school principal has some awesome badges to offer you.

Now available with Task Tracker compatibility. Learn more.

Birdman is starting to play real dirty now. In an effort to soil the school's football field, Birdman has built a Turd-a-Pault and is preparing to launch bird turds onto our school turf. We know it's a dirty job, but someone's going to have to stop him ... and that someone is you! So strengthen your skill at solving angle-launched projectile problems and stop Birdman from making a mess on the turf. You will have to use your Portal Cannon to place a Portal at a strategic location and a strategic time in order to intercept the turd and flush it out of existence. Fill your buckets with the nasty juice and you will save the day (and the turf) and be rewarded with the best badges that the school Principal offers.

Now available with Task Tracker compatibility. Learn more.

Suppose that you are a zookeeper at a large zoo and that one of your primary duties is to feed the monkeys (just suppose). And suppose that one of the monkeys refuses to come down from the tree to receive the meal (you're still supposing aren't you). So what do you do? Of course, you build a banana cannon to shoot bananas to the monkey. But then you find out the monkey has the peculiar habit of letting go of the branch of the tree at the exact moment you launch a banana its way. So where should you aim the banana if you wish to direct it to the falling monkey. Should you aim at the branch, above the branch, or below the branch? And does the launch speed - fast, medium or slow - affect your decision? Let's find out with The Monkey and the Zookeeper Interactive.