Principal Sponsors
Makes grants to address the most serious social and environmental problems facing society, where risk capital, responsibly invested, may make a difference over time.
National Science Foundation
An independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science.
King Saud University seeks to become a leader in educational and technological innovation, scientific discovery and creativity through fostering an atmosphere of intellectual inspiration and partnership for the prosperity of society.
The O'Donnell Foundation is devoted to building model programs to enhance the quality of education.
States of Matter
Watch different types of molecules form a solid, liquid, or gas. Add or remove heat and watch the phase change. Change the temperature or volume of a container and see a pressure-temperature diagram respond in real time. Relate the interaction potential to the forces between molecules.
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Teaching Resources
Main Topics
- Atomic Bonding
- Chemistry
- Dipole
- Interaction Potential
- Molecules
Sample Learning Goals
- Describe a molecular model for solids, liquids, and gases.
- Extend this model to phase changes.
- Describe how heating or cooling changes the behavior of the molecules.
- Describe how changing the volume can affect temperature, pressure, and state.
- Relate a pressure-temperature diagram to the behavior of molecules.
- Interpret graphs of interatomic potential.
- Describe how forces on atoms relate to the interaction potential.
- Describe the physical meaning of the parameters in the Lennard-Jones potential, and how this relates to the molecule behavior.
Tips for Teachers
The teacher's guide (pdf) contains tips created by the PhET team.
Teaching Ideas
You can submit your own ideas and activities.
Translated Versions:
Software Requirements
| Windows | Macintosh | Linux |
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Microsoft Windows
XP/Vista/7 Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
OS 10.5 or later
Sun Java 1.5.0_19 or later |
Sun Java 1.5.0_15 or later |
Credits
| Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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