Physlets: JavaDoc technical documentation

Physlets are individual applets (see menu to the left). Packages can contain several related applets. In most cases packages correspond to jar-files.
In HTML, Physlets are integrated like this:  <applet code="packagename.Appletname.class" archive="listOfJarFiles,noBlanksBetweenCommas" ...

For some physlets, only older documentation is available. In this case, packages and individual applets may have changed in the meantime.

Packages with recent documentation

edu.davidson.tools

SApplet provides the basic features of Physlets. In fact, all Physlets are derived from SApplet by definition.
file: STools4.jar

animator4

Animator is designed to model particle dynamics in two dimensions. Animator was originally designed for the Animation of geometric shapes and images along predefined trajectories. Recent versions allow objects to move in response to particle interactions as well as external forces.
files: Animator4_.jar, STools4.jar

bfield

BField displays the magnetic field from straight wires or coils using color-coded vectors. External fields can also be specified.
files: BField4_.jar, STools4.jar

blackbody

BlackBody displays the radiation spectrum a blackbody radiator at a given temperature. The temperature can be changed by dragging the peak of the blackbody curve, by entering the value into a text field, and by scripting.
files: BlackBody4_.jar, STools4.jar

circuit

The circuit package contains Physlets to solve common AC and DC circuit problems: CircuitApplet, IVApplet, IZAppletLoadApplet, LRCApplet, and RCApplet.
files: Circuit4_.jar, STools4.jar
Note: This is different from the package circuitsimulator with Physlet CircuitBuilder by Toon van Hoecke.

dataGraph

The package dataGraph contains two Physlets to represent data from objects in other Physlets in using real-time inter-applet communication: DataGraph plots data sets and functions. Bar represents data as a bar of variable length.
files: DataGraph4_.jar  / Bar4_.jar, STools4.jar

dataTable

DataTable displays columns of numbers. It too was designed to record data from other Physlets using real-time inter-applet communication.
files: DataTable4_.jar, STools4.jar

diatomic

Diatomic models a mixture of monatomic and diatomic molecules.
files: Diatomic4_.jar, STools4.jar

doppler

Doppler demonstrates the classical and relativistic Doppler effect. It was the first Physlet written.
files: Doppler4_.jar, STools4.jar

eField4

EField plots fields produced by a potential function and fixed point charges. Test charges that move under the action of the field can be included in the simulation.
files: EField4_.jar, STools4.jar

emwave4

EMWave shows a three dimensional display of a traveling E&M wave to show the relationship between electric and magnetic fields. The wave can be scripted to model linear as well as circularly polarized light.
files: EMWave4_.jar, STools4.jar

energyEigenvalue

EnergyEigenvalue uses the shooting method to solve the time independent Schrödinger equation in order to find the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues for a given one-dimensional potential. Dragging the mouse inside the energy level diagram shows how only certain energy eigenvalues are able to satisfy the boundary conditions.
files: EnergyEigenvalue4_.jar, STools4.jar

faraday

Faraday presents the classic problem of a wire sliding on top of a U shaped conductor embedded in an external magnetic field. A galvanometer display shows the current flow as the wire is moved.
files: Faraday4_.jar, STools4.jar

hydrogenic

Hydrogenic package contains three Physlets Radial, Angular and Density - designed to display radial wave functions, angular wave functions, and probability density plots.
files: Hydrogenic4_.jar, STools4.jar

impedance

Impedance models the frequency response of circuits consisting of resistors, capacitors, and inductors.
files: Impedance4_.jar, STools4.jar

lorentz

Lorentz models the electric and magnetic fields from a moving point charge.
files: Lorentz4_.jar, STools4.jar

minkowski

Minkowski presents two overlapping space-time diagrams for reference frames before and after Lorentz resp. Galilei transformation. Events can be attached to either frame to demonstrate length contraction, time dilation and other relativistic effects.
files: Minkowski4_.jar, STools4.jar

molecular

The package molecular contains kinetic theory applets using a hard disk model.  The basic applet, MolecularApplet, models a gas using either periodic or hard wall boundary conditions. The other Applets included: MolecularMembrane and MolecularPiston
files: Molecular4_.jar, STools4.jar

optics

OpticsApplet allows users to simulate an optics bench with standard optic elements (lens, mirror, dielectrics, sources, apertures) and observe light rays propagating through these elements.
files: Optics4_.jar, STools4.jar

poisson

Poisson solves the boundary value problem for conductors and simple charge-density distributions using the relaxation method. Contour and field plot visualizations are available.
files: Poisson4_.jar, STools4.jar

qTime

QTime solves the time dependent Schrödinger equation in one dimension. Rather than displaying separate graphs for real and imaginary components of the wave function, the amplitude is presented and color-coded to show the phase.
files: QTime4_.jar, STools4.jar

reflection

Reflection models interference effects as waves pass through various layers. It displays reflections from one or more boundary layers for both E&M and quantum mechanics.
files: Reflection4_.jar, STools4.jar

ripple

Ripple models a water-filled tank containing one or more point-source exciters.
files: Ripple4_.jar, STools4.jar

slider

Slider represents a slider control bar to manipulate other Physlets. It works by calling back an arbitrary JavaScript function at every move by the user.
files: Slider4_.jar, STools4.jar

superposition

Superposition creates a multi-panel display containing two time-dependent waves and their sum.
files: Superposition4_.jar, STools4.jar

sync

Sync models the electric field from an accelerating point charge including the time retardation. Common radiation fields such as synchrotron radiation and free-electron laser wigglers are preprogrammed.
files: Sync4_.jar, STools4.jar

 

Packages with older or out-dated documentation

circuitsimulator

Circuit to set up circuits with JavaScript and make data connections to e.g. DataGraph. CircuitBuilder, an interactive switch board for electric circuits.
files: Circuitsimulator4_.jar, STools4.jar

Note: This is different from package circuit with Physlets CircuitApplet, IVApplet, IZAppletLoadApplet, LRCApplet, and RCApplet by Wolfgang Christian.

dla

DLA - Diffusion Limited Aggregation. A program that models the construction of a snowflake. It uses a random walker to attaches particles to the snowflake.
files: DLA4_.jar, STools4.jar

engine

Engine files: Engine4_.jar, STools4.jar

filters

Differentiator, Integral, Integrator. Multiplexer accepts data from multiple data sources and passes this data to other Physlets. Accumulator stores datum consisting of (x,y) pairs to produce a data set and can be used to produce a strip chart if the a data connection send the resulting data to a DataGraph.
files: Filters4_.jar, STools4.jar

filters

Differentiator, Integral, Integrator. - Histogram sorts data into bins to form a histogram. Multiplexer accepts data from multiple data sources and passes this data to other Physlets. Accumulator (x,y) pairs to produce a data set and can be used to produce a strip chart if the a data connection send the resulting data to a DataGraph. files: Filters4_.jar, STools4.jar

galton

BallDrop, a Galton board. Balls running through pins, displaying approx. Gauß distribution.
files: Galton4_.jar, STools4.jar

ising

Ising
files: Ising4_.jar, STools4.jar

jacob

Jacob displays motion and diffusion of charged lines (represented as dots in 2D) according to the electric and magnetic forces among them, inside conducting elements (built from rectangles, circles and rings).
files: Jacob.jar

mathapps

Analytic,evaluates a function at a predetermined number of points. Analytic2D.
FFT
evaluates a function at a predetermined number of points and computes the Fast Fourier Transfprm, FFT. FFT2D
files: Mathapps4_.jar, STools4.jar

molecular

TwoEnsembles files: Molecular4_.jar, STools4.jar

ode

ODE solves systems of first order ordinary differential equation, ODEs, and passes the solution to data listeners. files: ODE4_.jar, STools4.jar

pipes

PipeApplet displays pressure waves in a tube.
files: Pipes4_.jar, STools4.jar

randomwalk

Diffusion, RandomWalk
files: RandomWalk4_.jar, STools4.jar

script

ScriptListener
files: ScriptListener4_.jar, STools4.jar

soundout

SoundOut
files: SoundOut4_.jar, STools4.jar

spectrum

Spectrum
files: Spectrum4_.jar, STools4.jar

splotter

SPlotter
files: SPlotter4_.jar, STools4.jar

wave3d

Wave3d animates a 3D wave traveling along the z direction.
files: Wave3d4_.jar, STools4.jar

 



Visit the Davidson College Physlet Site for additional information.