PhET Blog

We are so excited to release our next-gen HTML5 sims—just in time for the 2013-2014 academic year! These HTML5 versions not only are touch and tablet optimized but also have built-in flexibility that will enable us to easily facilitate future improvements, including enhanced 3rd-party customization and assessment abilities.

To learn about the new features, and the Future of PhET, watch the video on the right-side of the new (and temporary) “HTML5 HomePage”. The video gives tips on how to use the sims, as well as a glimpse to see what’s coming.

Do you like our new logo? We hope that the new logo reflects our mission to advance science and math literacy worldwide by making STEM active, engaging and most of all, fun!

And, if you’d like to support our next-gen sims, Donate today!
P.S. We are working on updating the logo on our donation page.

Teaching HS physics?

Here’s a guide to PhET simulations and activities for high-school level courses. In the guide, you’ll find example simulations, activities and demos for Mechanics (e.g., Moving Man, Energy Skate Park, and Masses and Springs) and Electricity & Magnetism (e.g., Waves on a String, Electric Field Hockey, and Circuit Construction Kit).

Wishing everyone a great 2013-2014 year. And, look for new HTML5 next-gen sims coming out soon!

To help you find the best simulation for teaching a specific topic in chemistry, don’t forget to use our preliminary guide that gives you a line up of specific simulations (and supplemental simulations) for topic areas in the general chemistry curriculum.

When you can’t go to the pool, learn why things float with the Buoyancy simulation. Arrows show the applied forces, and you can modify the properties of the blocks and the fluid. Apply what you learn next time you’re at the pool.

Looking for a fun educational way to cool off? Adjust mountain snowfall and temperature to see the glacier grow and shrink in our Glaciers simulation. Use scientific tools to measure thickness, velocity and glacial budget.

Want to keep those maths skills fresh over the summer? Try Fraction Matcher sim. Match shapes and numbers to earn stars in this fractions game. Students can challenge themselves at different levels, collecting stars as they improve their fraction skills.

On June 18, 2013, Oracle released Java 7 update 25 (1.7.0_25), which introduced an incompatibility that prevents PhET simulations from launching when using either the “Run Now” button on the website or the PhET Offline Website installer.

Oracle has fixed the problem and the fix should be available in the next version of Java (although this new version may not be released for some time).

Until this problem has been resolved, the best work-around for users experiencing this issue is to “Download” local copies of the simulations. When you press the “Download” button on a sim page, a “.jar” file will be downloaded. You can then double click the “.jar” file to run the sim locally. (Please note: on a Mac, you will have to right-click the “.jar” file and select “Open.”)

With summer fun here, explore how many calories are in your favorite summer foods and how much exercise you’d need to burn them off with the Eating and Exercise simulation.

Raining outside? Can’t get to the skate park? Learn about energy conservation while playing in this virtual skate park. Keep learning over the summer with this fun simulation.