Life, Learning, and Enlightenment

When teaching electronics, students often find themselves wishing that they could practice more outside of class. This is often difficult due to the equipment required to build and measure electronic circuits.

The University of Colorado has developed a library of interactive simulations that run in any java enabled browser. There are simulations covering a variety of math and science related topics, including electronics.

For our purposes, there are a variety of circuit related simulations that can be used to build both AC and DC circuits. There are also some interesting simulations for learning Ohm’s Law and for working with resistance in a wire.

Best of all, you can use these tools online or download them to use any time. All you need is a good web browser with Java enabled!

     

Some students have problems visualizing the application of Ohm’s Law and the equations for voltage, current, resistance, and power. If you work best with visuals, or if you’d just like a place to check your work*, take a look at the Ohm’s Law Calculators available at http://www.the12volt.com/ohm/page2.asp.

*The use of these tools to get homework and practice answers will not help make you smarter or promote understanding! Do your own work first!