The Body with Thruster Model shows the motion of a disk with an attached rocket engine. You can drag the engine to change its distance from the center of the disk and you can adjust the thrust of the rocket engine using sliders. The mass of the rocket and its connecting rod are assumed to be negligible. The trajectory of this single-body model is intuitively challenging and difficult to visualize.

The EJS Car on an Inclined Plane model displays a car on an incline plane. When the car reaches the bottom of the incline, it can be set to bounce (elastic collision) with the stop attached to the bottom of the incline. The car consists of the car body, two rotating front wheels, and two rotating rear wheels. The incline angle (in radians) can be changed via a textbox. In addition the car can be dragged to its initial position.

This activity is a indoor lab where student gather data about centripital acceleration and write up a lab based on their findings.

Students investigate the relationship between variables in the centripetal force equation.

The EJS Circumnavigating Pendulum model displays the dynamics of a mechanical oscillator in uniform circular motion. The mechanical oscillator is free to move in two directions. This 2-dimensional simulation displays all the dynamical features of the Foucault pendulum, except for the dependency of the Foucault pendulum precession on latitude. The simulation shows simultaneously the motion with respect to the inertial coordinate system, and the motion as seen from a co-rotating point of view.

The EJS Foucault Pendulum model displays the dynamics of a Foucault pendulum. The simulation is designed to show the dynamical explanation of why precession of the Foucault pendulum is slower at lower latitudes. The simulation shows simultaneously the motion with respect to the inertial coordinate system, and the motion as seen from a co-rotating point of view.

The EJS Great Circles model displays the frictionless motion of a particle that is constrained to follow the surface of a perfect sphere. The sphere rotates underneath the particle, but since there is no friction, and the sphere is perfectly spherical, the motion of the particle is not influenced by the sphere. The simulation shows simultaneously the trajectory with respect to the inertial coordinate system, and the trajectory as seen from a point of view that is co-rotating with the sphere. The particle remains co-rotating until the Release/Launch button is pressed. On pressing the Release/Launch button the particle commences to move along the great circle that is tangent to the initial latitude.

The EJS Inertial Oscillation model displays the motion of a particle moving over the surface of an oblate spheroid. The spheroid is flattened to an ellipsoid of revolution because it is rotating, just as the Earth is flattened because it is rotating. The particle is confined to motion along the surface by the spheroid's gravity; the motion parallel to the surface is treated as frictionless. The simulation shows simultaneously the motion with respect to the inertial coordinate system, and the motion as seen from a co-rotating point of view. For the co-rotating view the user can switch between a close-up view and an overview.

This activity is an investigation regarding rotational inertia and factors that affect it.

The EJS Kinematics of a Translating and Rotating Wheel model displays the model of wheel rolling on a floor. By controlling three variables, the kinematics of the wheel can be changed to represent sliding, rolling with sliding, rolling without slipping, rolling with slipping, and spinning. The translational velocity of the wheel, the rotational velocity of the wheel, and the radius of the wheel can be changed via sliders.

Introduction to classical mechanics (see description under 8.01). Material is covered over a longer interval, so that the subject is completed by the end of the Independent Activities Period. During the first month of classes, substantial emphasis is given to reviewing and strengthening pre-calculus mathematics, basic physics concepts, and problem-solving skills. Delay in the use of calculus permits students more exposure to 18.01 before the material is used in the physics. Overall content, depth, and difficulty is otherwise identical to that of 8.01. Students receive credit for 8.01 on their transcripts. Credit cannot also be received for 8.012 or 8.01X.

Physics I is a first-year, first-semester course that provides an introduction to Classical Mechanics. It covers the basic concepts of Newtonian mechanics, fluid mechanics, and kinetic gas theory.

Introduces classical mechanics. Space and time: straight-line kinematics; motion in a plane; forces and equilibrium; experimental basis of Newton's laws; particle dynamics; universal gravitation; collisions and conservation laws; work and potential energy; vibrational motion; conservative forces; inertial forces and non-inertial frames; central force motions; rigid bodies and rotational dynamics.

The EJS Rocket Car on an Inclined Plane model displays a car on an inclined plane. When the car reaches the bottom of the incline, it can be set to bounce (elastic collision) with the stop attached to the bottom of the incline. The car consists of the car body, two rotating front wheels, and two rotating rear wheels. The incline angle (in radians) can be changed via a textbox and the rocket’s thrust can be changed via a slider. In addition the car can be dragged to its initial position. An introduction to the simulation and questions for students are included.

In this physics lab, students investigate the effects of different sizes of spools on the effect of torque and moment of inertia.

The EJS Slipping and Rolling Wheel Model shows the motion of a wheel rolling on a floor subject to a frictional force as determined by the coefficient of friction ?k. The simulation allows the user to change the initial translational and rotational velocities of the wheel, v and ?, and the mass, radius, and mass distribution, R, m, and C of the wheel. By controlling these variables, the dynamics of the wheel can be changed to show the sliding, then rolling without slipping, of the wheel.