Science Simulations for the Classroom
Free science simulations for the projector and whiteboard: the solar system, seasons, Moon phases, circuits, lenses and a pendulum. Nothing to install.
Day, night and seasonsA free 3D simulation for class: see why we have day and night and why seasons come from the Earth's tilt, not its distance from the Sun. Real dates and cities.
Moon phases and eclipsesA free 3D model of Moon phases and solar and lunar eclipses for class: the real Moon on any date, its 5.1° tilt, the shadows, and real eclipses to jump to.
Solar systemA free 3D solar system simulation for class: the planets where they really are today, time controls, true scale, the Moon's real phase and Saturn's rings.
Electric circuitsA free circuit builder for class: drag batteries, bulbs, resistors and meters onto a board, see current flow, compare series and parallel, see a short circuit.
PendulumA free pendulum simulation for class: drag the ball, change length, mass, friction and gravity, and compare the measured period with 2π√(l/g).
Refraction and lensesA free optics simulation for class: Snell's law with real angles, total internal reflection, a prism splitting white light, and lens ray diagrams with images.What are simulations for?
Some things can't come into the classroom: planets, atoms, the current in a wire. Some experiments are too expensive, too dangerous or too fast to watch. A simulation lets students see them, change them and work out the rules for themselves.
Oly's simulations are made for one shared screen: a projector, a TV or an interactive touch display. The whole class watches the same thing, you drive and ask questions, and students come up to tap, drag and try. No devices for students, nothing to install, no sign-up.
What each simulation has
- A model that's scientifically right: data from sources like NASA, checked by automated tests.
- Full screen for the projector: text and buttons grow so the back row can read them.
- Teaching ideas: a short lesson flow with questions to ask the class.
- A review game: after watching, the whole class plays a review game on the same screen, in teams, with your phone as the remote.
Coming next
- Atoms and the periodic table
- Acids, bases and pH
- The cell in 3D
- 3D shapes and their nets
- Forces and motion
- Sound waves
- Photosynthesis
- The water cycle
- Plate tectonics and earthquakes