Physics Gateways and Resources
The Physics Gateways and Resources collection is comprised of physics-related web portals, web sites, and individual digital resources identified by National Science Digital Library staff as appropriate for inclusion in the Library. Many of the materials to be found here were suggested by NSDL users. The collection encompasses portals, sites, and resources in many areas of the discipline, including electromagnetism, classical mechanics, optics, oscillations and waves, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and other areas. Here may be found materials for physics educators and learners (early childhood through graduate school), resources intended for the general public, and materials aimed at physics research communities.
Details about NSDL selection criteria are provided in the NSDL Collection Development Policy. To recommend an addition or additions to this collection, please complete NSDL's Recommend a Resource form.
The collection provides access to third-party resources; individual items must be consulted for terms of use.
American%20Association%20of%20Physics%20Teachers
http://www.aapt.org/
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) serves the needs of physics educators in settings ranging from high schools through research universities. The organization's site provides general information about membership, ... Full description
American%20Physical%20Society%3A%20Careers%20in%20Physics
http://www.aps.org/careers/student/index.cfm
This page features information for students who wish to pursue careers in physics. Topics include academic preparation for middle school, undergraduate, and graduate/postdoctoral students, biographies of physicists working in vari... Full description
arXiv.org
http://arxiv.org/
ArXiv.org provides open access to close to 500,000 e-prints in physics, mathematics, statistics, nonlinear sciences, computer science, and quantitative biology. It provides search within subject areas and by author, title, abstrac... Full description
Atomic%20Structure%20and%20the%20Periodic%20Table
http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtext/atoms/
This is a section of an online textbook ("Chem 1 Virtual Textbook") on General Chemistry at the first-year college or advanced high-school level. It provides an introduction to the structure and properties of the elements and thei... Full description
Biography%20of%20Edmund%20Clifton%20Stoner
http://theor.jinr.ru/~kuzemsky/stonbio.html
Biography of Edmund Clifton Stoner including discussion of the the Stoner Criterion. Full description
CERN%20Courier%3A%20International%20Journal%20of%20High-Energy%20Physics
http://cerncourier.com/
The CERN Courier is the journal of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN is an acronym for the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, which led to the formation of the current organization). The journal fea... Full description
CERN%20Document%20Server
http://cdsweb.cern.ch/
The CERN Document Server contains over 900,000 bibliographic records, including 360,000 full-text documents, of interest to people working in particle physics and related areas. It covers preprints, articles, books, journals, phot... Full description
CNS%20Institute%20for%20Physics%20Teachers
http://www.cns.cornell.edu/cipt/
This professional development program from Cornell University's Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS), designed specifically for high-school physics teachers, updates educators on recent advances in physics and related applications. ... Full description
Coalition%20for%20Plasma%20Science
http://www.plasmacoalition.org/index.html
Created to increase public understanding of plasma science, this site presents brief papers introducing particular aspects of plasma science and its practical applications, plus an excellent Teachers Guide to Plasma Science Resour... Full description
Current%20density
http://maxwell.byu.edu/~spencerr/websumm122/node46.html
Explanation of current density as distinct from current. Full description
Doppler%20Effect%20Applet
http://library.thinkquest.org/19537/java/Doppler.html
This applet lets students interactively experience the Doppler effect. The user can adjust the position of an "observer" relative to the wave source (a jet plane), change the plane's speed, observe how the waveforms change in freq... Full description
Einstein%20Light
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/einsteinlight/
This award-winning site provides an accessible introduction to the theories of Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, and Einstein. It uses multimedia modules with animations and video clips to explain mechanics and Galilean relativity, electr... Full description
Fermilab%3A%20Fermi%20National%20Accelerator%20Laboratory
http://www.fnal.gov/
Fermilab is a national science laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy and the home of the Tevatron, currently the world's most powerful particle accelerator. Site materials include an overview of the lab's research into high-... Full description
Historical%20Scientific%20Instrument%20Gallery
http://physics.unl.edu/history/histinstr/
This virtual gallery features a collection of scientific instruments used in the early days of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The gallery's inroduction briefly describes the history ... Full description
Laboratory%20Experiments%20Using%20Technology%3A%20Learning%20Materials%20from%20the%20EMPOWER%20Project
http://www.science-house.org/teacher/empower/labs.html
This collection of physics activities uses calculator- and computer-based probeware (CBL/CBL2/LabPro technology) to explore topics in motion and force, sound and light. The demonstrations were developed by middle-school teachers u... Full description
Large%20Hadron%20Collider%3A%20Particle%20Collision%20Animation
http://hands-on-cern.physto.se/ani/acc_lhc_atlas/lhc_atlas.swf
This animation shows how the protons move through the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) accelerator system and then collide in the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) detector. The animation needs the program Macromedia Flash Player. Full description
Letters%20from%20the%20Past%3A%20A%20PRL%20Retrospective
http://prl.aps.org/50years/milestones
As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Physical Review Letter (PRL), the American Physical Society is presenting throughout 2008 a series of milestone Letters that made long-lived contributions to physics; the selec... Full description
Light%20and%20Matter%3A%20Introductory%20Physics%20Textbooks
http://www.lightandmatter.com/books.html
This series of six books is intended for a one-year introductory course in physics of the type typically taken by biology majors. Algebra and trigonometry are used, and there are optional calculus-based sections. The books may be ... Full description
Nano%2C%20Quantum%20and%20Statistical%20Mechanics%20and%20Thermodynamics%3A%20Educational%20Sites
http://tigger.uic.edu/~mansoori/Thermodynamics.Educational.Sites_html
This collection of links provides access to web sites associated with nano, quantum, and statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. The links are arranged by type: basic principles (including classical thermodynamics), nano, quantu... Full description
Nano%2C%20Quantum%2C%20and%20Statistical%20Mechanics%20and%20Thermodynamics%3A%20Data%20and%20Property%20Calculation%20Websites
http://tigger.uic.edu/~mansoori/Thermodynamic.Data.and.Property_html
This collection of links provides access to web sites associated with nano, quantum, and statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. The links are arranged by type: data sites, calculation/program download sites, organizations invol... Full description
Nori%27s%20Java%20Applets%3A%20Physics%20Simulations
http://www2.biglobe.ne.jp/~norimari/science/JavaApp/e-JavaP.html
This collection of Java applets lets students run interactive simulations of a variety of physics topics: docking with a space station, conservation of mechanical energy, planetary motion, the structure of an atom, and many others... Full description
Optical%20Microscopy%20Primer
http://microscope.fsu.edu/primer/index.html
This tutorial provides an introduction to optical microscopy and imaging. Topics include the physics of light and color, the anatomy of optical microscopes, and film and digital techniques for capturing microscopic images. There i... Full description
Optics%20for%20Kids%3A%20The%20Science%20and%20Engineering%20Behind%20It
http://www.opticalres.com/kidoptx.html
This site provides an introduction to optics, the science of light, for younger students. Topics include what light is and how it travels; what lenses are and how they work; and what lasers are and what they can do. There is also ... Full description
Optics.org%3A%20Lasers%2C%20Optics%2C%20and%20Photonics%20Resources%20and%20News
http://optics.org/cws/home
This online journal, or "community website," from Institute of Physics (IOP) Publishing features news articles, interviews, and analyses of research and industry in optics, photonics, and laser technology. The site also provides i... Full description
Paul%20Drude
http://www.pdi-berlin.de/paul-drude
Biographic profile of Paul Drude Full description
Perimeter%20Institute%20for%20Theoretical%20Physics
http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca
The Perimeter Institute supports research in cosmology, quantum foundations, particle physics, quantum gravity, quantum information theory, and superstring theory, and conducts educational outreach to teachers, students, and the g... Full description
Physical%20Review%20Focus
http://focus.aps.org/
This online digest provides selections from the American Physical Society (APS) journals "Physical Review" and "Physical Review Letters." These articles, explained for students and researchers in all fields of physics, are suitabl... Full description
Physical%20Setting%2FPhysics%20Core%20Curriculum
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst/pub/phycoresci.pdf
This guide is intended to assist high-school teachers and supervisors as they prepare curriculum, instruction, and assessment for the physics content and process skills of the New York State Learning Standards for Mathematics, Sci... Full description
Physics%208.02%3A%20Electricity%20and%20Magnetism
http://evangelion.mit.edu/802TEAL3D/
This is the online version of a course on electricity and magnetism taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Topics covered include vector fields, electrostatics, magnetostatics, Faraday's Law, and light. The cou... Full description
Physics%20Applets
http://jersey.uoregon.edu/vlab/
This collection of interactive JAVA applets features items suitable for use in physics, astronomy, or environmental science courses. The applets are arranged by topic: astronomy, energy and environment, mechanics, and thermodynami... Full description
Physics%20Demonstrations
http://www.science-house.org/learn/demos/index.html
A collection of in-depth physics demonstrations with instructions for doing it yourself, videos that let you see how it's done, and suggestions for developing some of the demos into experiments. The demonstrations were developed a... Full description
Physics%20Education%20Research%20at%20Illinois-Urbana
http://research.physics.uiuc.edu/PER/
The Physics Education Research group at the University of Illinois-Urbana studies the learning, understanding, and teaching of physics and the application of physics knowledge. As part of an effort to reform the introductory Physi... Full description
Physics%20Education%20Technology%3A%20Interactive%20Physics%20Simulations
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phet/web-pages/index.html
This collection of interactive, research-based simulations introduces students to basic physical phenomena. The simulations cover a variety of topics: motion, sound, and waves; light and radiation; electricity, magnets, and circui... Full description
Physics%20Education%20Technology%3A%20Interactive%20Physics%20Simulations
http://phet.colorado.edu/new/index.php
The Physics Education Technology (PhET) project provides a collection of simulations for teaching and learning physics and chemistry, as well as teacher-contributed lessons and activities that make use of them. Created by a team a... Full description
Physics.org%3A%20Your%20Guide%20to%20Physics%20on%20the%20Web
http://www.physics.org/
This comprehensive guide, sponsored by the Institute of Physics, is intended for students, teachers, and parents. The site offers a searchable database providing access to thousands of approved physics-related websites that have b... Full description
Physicsworld.com%3A%20A%20Community%20Website%20from%20IOP%20Publishing
http://www.physicsweb.org/
This journal, available in both print and online versions, provides news and feature articles, job postings, and product information for those interested in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, nuclear and particle physics, con... Full description
PhysLink.com%3A%20Physics%20and%20Astronomy%20Online
http://www.physlink.com/
PhysLink.com is a web directory supplying links to physics and astronomy education, research, and reference sites, and some original content. The education page features an ask-the-expert blog feature; links to sites on the histor... Full description
Planck%27s%20Constant%20Physics%202000
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/quantumzone/photoelectric2.html
Animated explanation of Planck's Constant, h = 6.626 x 10^-34 J*s . Full description
Primer%20on%20Quantum%20Theory%20of%20the%20Atom
http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtut/atomic/qprimer/
This question-and-answer tutorial provides an introduction to quantum theory and the electron structure of the atom. Suitable for advanced high-school students and those beginning postsecondary education, this "quantum catechism" ... Full description
Quantum%20Physics%20Made%20Relatively%20Simple%3A%20Three%20Lectures%20by%20Hans%20Bethe
http://bethe.cornell.edu/
These lectures were delivered by legendary Cornell University theoretical physicist Hans Bethe (1906-2005) in 1999 to his neighbors at a retirement community in Ithaca, New York. The lectures are presented as large or small videos... Full description
QuarkNet
http://quarknet.fnal.gov/index.html
QuarkNet, a professional development program for high-school physics teachers, is intended to involve them and their students in collaborative high-energy physics experiments and research. During the summer months, teachers collab... Full description
SAO%2FNASA%20Astrophysics%20Data%20System%20%28ADS%29
http://ads.astro.puc.cl/
This digital library, operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) under a NASA grant, offers three bibliographic databases containing more than 6.7 million records: astronomy and astrophysics, physics, and arXiv e-... Full description
Scanning%20Tunneling%20Microscope
http://www.iap.tuwien.ac.at/www/surface/STM_Gallery/stm_schematic.html
Description of a scanning tunneling microscopy, a technique developed in the eighties and allows imaging solid surfaces with unprecedented resolution. Full description
SciCentral%3A%20Physics%20and%20Chemistry%20News
http://www.scicentral.com/P-02phys.html
This site provides links to physics- and chemistry-related news articles from a variety of outlets and journals. Sources featured on the site must be freely accessible to online readers and are ranked by the editors based on relia... Full description
Science%20of%20Sports
http://www.science-house.org/student/bw/sports/index.html
A collection of lab activities using computers and/or calculator-based probeware to investigate the basic physics and physiology behind most sports. The activities were developed for and used during a summer camp for high-school s... Full description
Spin%20Dynamics%20and%20Magnetic%20Multilayers
http://www.diva-portal.org/diva/getDocument?urn_nbn_se_uu_diva-8168-1__fulltext.pdf.
Spin Dynamics and Magnetic Multilayers, by BJÖRN SKUBIC is part of theDigital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology, number 326 (2007). Full description
The%20Expert%20System%20for%20Thermodynamics
http://www.thermofluids.net/
The Expert System for Thermodynamics (TEST) is a web-based software platform used to analyze thermofluids problems, verify hand calculations, pursue what-if scenarios, visualize thermal systems, and conduct other investigations in... Full description
The%20Hard%20Disk%20Drive%20and%20GMR
http://www.research.ibm.com/research/demos/gmr/1.swf
This Shockwave presentation illustrates the relationship of the read head in a computer hard drive and the expression of Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR). Full description
The%20Science%20of%20Spectroscopy
http://www.scienceofspectroscopy.info/
This Wiki-based resource provides an introduction to spectroscopy for advanced high-school and postsecondary students. The site uses real-world applications of spectroscopy to involve students and provides links to external resour... Full description
The%20Soundry
http://library.thinkquest.org/19537/
The Soundry is a collection of resources that introduce users to the most basic concepts of what sound actually is, as well as to the specifics of how humans perceive sound. Topics include psychoacoustics (the study of the structu... Full description
Visualizing%20Relativity
http://wwwvis.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/relativity/
This software permits photorealistic simulation of scenes and relativistic phenomena using computer graphics to show features that could never be seen in real life at the scales of human time and space. It is part of a course in t... Full description
Why%20Doesn%27t%20the%20Electron%20Fall%20into%20the%20Nucleus%3F
http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtut/atomic/WhyTheElectron.html
This tutorial offers a conceptual and nonmathematical answer to a question rarely given explicit treatment in conventional textbooks, and often answered incorrectly by teachers in terms of classical mechanics. The explanation cove... Full description
XAFS.org
http://xafs.org
X-ray absorption fine-structure (XAFS) is a spectroscopic technique that uses x-rays to probe the physical and chemical structure of matter at an atomic scale. XAFS.org is a community website (a wiki), editable by its users. Site ... Full description