The Use of Computers
in Introductory Physics

We use Macintosh computers with the following software:

Mathematica examples
Interactive Physics examples - simulations
Vernier Software examples - data acquisition and analysis
IGOR examples - more sophisticated data analysis

For more examples - check out the Projects page

Mathematica, A System for Doing Mathematics by Computer, is published by Wolfram Research, Inc. It is an extremely powerful program, used by students and professional researchers alike.

Interactive Physics is published by Knowledge Revolution. It allows students to easily set up simulations of mechanical systems. Output can also be ported to other programs, such as IGOR, for analysis.

The Vernier Software is used to collect data from the ULI (Universal Lab Interface) which connects the computer to a motion detector, force probe, photogate timer and other transducers.

IGOR, published by Wavemetrics, Inc., is a powerful scientific spreadsheet.