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Updated March 27, 2006
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Software Review: OnScreen Particle Physics
ScienceMan Rating: 
| Relevant Links: |
Home Page |
| Company/Vendor: |
OnScreen Science |
| Price: |
$134.99 US single, $469 US ten computer license |
| Platforms: |
Windows 95 through XP, Mac OS X (older OS version available too) |
| Latest Version: |
1.3.1 |
Pros:Mulit-featured, powerful particle motion simulator. Physics teachers will love being able to demonstrate what they have only been able to talk about in the past. Cons:Minor interface issues - needs certain scalable windows (I would dearly love to be able to make the TrackMaker window bigger!), and a way to change background colour to white so that printing won't consume so much ink. The Review:
We've come a long way in the physics classroom, but it's still pretty hard to do actual particle research in class. It would be great if somebody designed a really good particle detection chamber simulator...
- Hey! Somebody has! OnScreen Particle Physics is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to studying how charged particles react in a magnetic field.
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- This program centres around the "particle chamber", into which students can inject charged particles and watch them curve in a magnetic field. The particle event occurs right before your eyes at user defineable speeds - and can be replayed.
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By accessing controls, students can easily change parameters such as magnetic field strength and particle kinetic energy. Several particles can be injected into the chamber, which can then be rotated in order to view it from different perspectives. This rotating feature is useful, however, control over perspective views would be much better served if students could simply "grab" the chamber and rotate it to exactly how they want to view it.
Once the event is complete, it can be analysed. The user can switch to a "projection" view and then use provided tools to measure the deflection of the particle in any plane.
My favorite part of the program is called "Trackmaker" which allows you to alter the magnetic field around a particle as it tracks it's way from left to right across the screen. Complete frustration ensues as you try desperately to alter the field to keep the particle on the screen - it's a lot of fun!
The only suggestions for improvement I can make are very minor - it might be nice to be able to change background colors in the various windows, and I think it would be nice to have the chamber and trackmaker windows scalable so that you can view everything in a smaller window on screen, but more importantly, you should able to make the Trackmaker window bigger. A teacher with a wider screen will not want their demonstration limited to the size of the window.
Conclusion:
Overall, OnScreen Particle Physics is an excellent simulator that students and teachers will benefit from. Despite the minor shortcomings, I would try to make room for this program in your physics instruction budget. That being said, I wish the company would consider a pricing scheme for high schools - perhaps a "lite" version that could be offered at a discount for a 10-pack. As it stands, the price of this software restricts many high schools from obtaining it - it shouldn't just be for university students.
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