In today’s post I am sharing with you this carefully curated collection of top physics apps ideal for use in class. These digital tools are not just for students to delve deeper into the subject, but also for teachers who wish to enrich their teaching methodologies and provide their students with a more comprehensive understanding of physics.
Each app is designed with unique features to cater to various learning styles and objectives, making them versatile tools in both the classroom and for self-study. From interactive simulations to comprehensive formula databases, these apps are revolutionizing the way we approach learning and teaching physics.
Physics Apps
Here some of the best physics apps for both teachers and students:
1. Sandbox Physics Simulator (iPhone/iPad & Android)
Sandbox Physics Simulator is an interactive app that allows students to explore the fundamental principles of physics in a playful, sandbox-style environment. Users can experiment with a vast array of elements ranging from basic materials like air, water, and fire to more complex ones like neon, TNT, and black holes.
The app promotes creative learning by enabling students to combine these elements and observe their interactions, leading to various reactions and transformations. The virtual world in Sandbox Physics Simulator is a dynamic canvas where users can construct platforms, witness the growth of flora, and experiment with natural phenomena like rain, lightning, and plant growth.
2. Khan Academy (iPhone/iPad & Android)
Khan Academy stands out as a comprehensive and versatile educational platform catering to a wide range of learners. Whether you’re a student, teacher, or simply a curious mind, Khan Academy offers a treasure trove of resources across subjects like math, science, economics, and humanities.
The app’s strength lies in its personalized learning approach, providing thousands of interactive exercises, informative videos, and in-depth articles. Its system is designed to adapt to your learning pace, offering instant feedback and recommendations to ensure you’re always challenged. The ability to bookmark and download content allows for offline learning, making education accessible anytime, anywhere.
3. EveryCircuit (iPhone/iPad & Android)
EveryCircuit is another powerful physics app. It brings the complexities of electrical circuits to your fingertips in an intuitive and interactive manner. Behind its user-friendly interface lies a robust simulation engine, equipped to handle everything from Ohm’s law and Kirchhoff’s laws to the nonlinear equations governing semiconductor devices.
With EveryCircuit, you can design and simulate any circuit, be it a simple voltage divider or a complex, transistor-level creation. The app’s schematic editor, featuring automatic wire routing, emphasizes productivity and ease of use. Its mobile-centric approach, coupled with the opportunity to join a cloud community, makes it a versatile tool for anyone interested in the hands-on study of electrical circuits.
4. Physics Notes (Android)
Physics Notes is the ultimate companion for students diving into the intricate world of physics. The app offers a comprehensive collection of meticulously crafted notes, covering every fundamental concept in physics, from the basics to the most advanced topics. The content is narrated in a student-friendly manner, making complex theories and principles easily understandable.
With its focus on clarity and comprehensiveness, Physics Notes ensures that you grasp every concept without any hassle. The app covers a wide range of topics, including motion, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and wave optics, making it a one-stop solution for all your physics learning needs.
Related: Science Apps for High School Students
6. Simple Physics (iPhone/iPad )
Simple Physics is a captivating app that turns complex engineering challenges into an interactive learning experience. This app allows you to design and simulate structures like tree houses, ferris wheels, and more, providing a hands-on approach to understanding the principles of physics and engineering.
The intuitive blueprints editor, combined with features like the Undo button, pinch-to-zoom, and two-finger drag for panning, ensures a user-friendly experience. The app’s physics engine vividly illustrates strain distribution across your structure, using color codes to indicate areas under stress.
The unique ‘finger test’ lets you interact directly with your structures, pushing and pulling, or even causing explosions to test durability. The slow-motion feature adds an extra layer of analysis, letting you scrutinize every aspect of your design’s response to different stresses. Simple Physics is perfect for budding engineers and anyone interested in learning physics in a fun, interactive way.
7. ElectroMaster (Android)
ElectroMaster is a practical and user-friendly app designed for both students and professionals in the electro-technical and electrical fields. The app is divided into three main sections: Electrical, Basic Knowledge, and Advanced Electrical, providing a comprehensive learning and reference tool.
In the Electrical and Advanced Electrical sections, users can find a blend of practical applications and theoretical knowledge, including Ohm’s Law, resistors, capacitors, power calculations, and much more. The Basic Knowledge section covers the foundational theoretical concepts of electricity, making it a perfect starting point for beginners.
ElectroMaster stands out for its well-structured content that caters to different learning stages, from basic principles to advanced electrical concepts, making it an invaluable tool for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of electrical and electro-technical concepts.
8. Pocket Physics (Android)
Pocket Physics is a good app for physics students of all levels, offering concise explanations, formulas, and descriptions for a wide array of physics topics. This app is ideal for refreshing knowledge, preparing for exams, or just brushing up on key physics concepts.
With content that covers everything from linear motion to astronomy, Pocket Physics serves as an efficient reference tool. Its focus on key topics, clear explanations, and detailed descriptions, accompanied by formulas and images, make it an invaluable resource.
Whether you’re a high school student tackling physics homework or a university student dealing with complex physics problems, Pocket Physics provides the tools you need to succeed.
9. PhyWiz (Android)
PhyWiz is your personal physics problem solver, providing instant solutions to a wide range of questions in over 30 physics topics. Whether it’s a simple kinematics problem or a complex question in quantum physics, PhyWiz is equipped to provide step-by-step solutions.
The app’s strength lies in its ability to quickly solve any physics question and its vast equation library, which gives you access to over 100 equations. With more than 300 free physics questions to practice, PhyWiz is an excellent tool for students to reinforce their understanding and prepare for exams.
10. PhET Simulations (Android)
PhET Simulations is an engaging and educational app developed by experts at the University of Colorado Boulder, offering a wide range of interactive simulations for various science and math concepts. This app is ideal for learning both at home and in the classroom, providing access to over 85 award-winning HTML5 simulations.
The offline play feature ensures that learning can continue even without an internet connection. The app supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a diverse group of learners. Users can create custom collections of their favorite simulations for a personalized learning experience.
11. Learn Physics (Android)
Learn Physics is a comprehensive app designed to make understanding physics concepts easy and fast. The app features core concept tutorials, a formula calculator, and quizzes, covering a wide range of physics topics. With its smart formula calculator, users can easily solve any variable within the formula for each topic.
Learn Physics is perfect for students at all levels, from primary school to university, offering detailed sections on mechanics, electromagnetism, waves and sound, optics, and thermodynamics. Each section includes a breakdown of fundamental concepts, formulas, and equations, making it an excellent guide for homework help, exam preparation, or a thorough review of physics principles.
12. Physics Pro (Android)
Physics Pro is an outstanding app tailored for anyone keen on mastering the vast world of physics. It’s an invaluable resource, offering a wealth of physics topics, definitions, formulas, and a sophisticated formula calculator, all packed into a sleek, user-friendly interface. This app is meticulously designed to cater to learners at every level, from primary school students just starting their physics journey to university students diving into more complex concepts.
Final thoughts
As I mentioned in the introduction, these physics apps are good for both students and teachers. For students, these apps offer the opportunity to learn at their own pace, reinforce their understanding, and prepare for their academic challenges. For teachers, these apps are valuable allies, providing resources to enrich lesson plans, offer interactive learning experiences, and cater to various learning needs in the classroom.
Whether you’re a student aiming for academic excellence or a teacher striving to inspire the next generation of physicists, these apps are your companions on this exciting journey of discovery and understanding in the world of physics.
