General Description of the Software Product
The software package «Mechanical Oscillations and Waves» includes 12 virtual laboratory works from the general physics course for students of higher and secondary educational institutions.
List of virtual labs:
1. Harmonic Oscillation of a String Pendulum
2. Elliptical Oscillation of a String Pendulum
3. Variable g Pendulum
4. Kater’s Reversible Pendulum
5. Simple Harmonic Oscillations
6. Pohl’s Torsion Pendulum
7. Forced Harmonic Rotary Oscillation
8. Coupled Oscillations
9. Mechanical Waves
10. Speed of Sound in Air
11. Standing Sound Waves
12. Propagation of Sound in Rods
Target computing device type and platform supported: IBM-compatible personal computer running Microsoft Windows.
Additionally, the package includes a web version of the virtual laboratory (HTML-5 platform), designed to be uploaded to the server of an educational organization in order to conduct remote classes with students.
The graphics component of the software uses the OpenGL 2.0 component base. The graphical user interface of the program is implemented in English.
Minimum System Requirements
- Processor clock speed: at least 2 GHz
- RAM: at least 4 GB
- Video memory: at least 512 MB
- Screen resolution: at least 1024x768x32
- OpenGL version 2.0 support
- DirectX version 9.0.c support (for Windows)
- Standard keyboard and computer mouse with scroll wheel (for PC)
- Audio playback devices (audio speakers or headphones)
To work with the web version of the virtual laboratory, you must use a web browser that supports WebGL 3D graphics, for example, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Mozilla Firefox. The HTML components of the web version must be uploaded to a physical server. If you need to use a local server, it is recommended to use the XAMPP (Apache) assembly.
Types of Licensing
The Virtual Lab is supplied only for educational organizations with installation on an unlimited number of places (corporate license).
1. Harmonic Oscillation of a String Pendulum
Goals: measuring the oscillation period of a string pendulum depending on the length and mass of the pendulum; determination of the acceleration of gravity.
2. Elliptical Oscillation of a String Pendulum
Goals: demonstration of the elliptical oscillation of a string pendulum in the form of two perpendicular components for different initial conditions; observation of oscillations of a string pendulum at different values of the phase shift.
3. Variable g Pendulum
Goals: measurement of the oscillation period depending on the effective component of gravitational acceleration; measurement of the oscillation period depending on the different length of the pendulum.
4. Kater's Reversible Pendulum
Goals: get acquainted with the principle of operation of a reversible pendulum; determine the oscillation period and calculate the local value of the gravitational acceleration.
5. Simple Harmonic Oscillations
Goals: recording of harmonic oscillations of a pendulum with a cylindrical spring depending on time using an ultrasonic motion sensor; determination of the oscillation period for various combinations of spring constant and suspended weight mass.
6. Pohl's Torsion Pendulum
Goals: measuring the oscillation period of the pendulum for different values of the braking current; determination of the damping constant of a rotating pendulum.
7. Forced Harmonic Rotary Oscillation
Goals: measurement of the amplitude of forced oscillations depending on the excitation frequency for various values of damping; observing a phase shift between excitation and actual oscillations; demonstration of resonance.
8. Coupled Oscillations
Goals: observation of coupled oscillations in phase, antiphase and in the general case; determination of periods of oscillations for each case; determination of the beat period; comparison of experimental and theoretical values of periods.
9. Mechanical Waves
Goals: generating a standing transverse wave along the rope; measuring the internal frequency as a function of the number of nodes; determination of the appropriate wavelength and speed of wave propagation.
10. Speed of Sound in Air
Goals: measuring the propagation time of a sound pulse in air depending on the temperature and of the distance between two microphone probes; confirmation of the linear relationship between distance and time; confirmation of Laplace’s conclusion.
11. Standing Sound Waves
Goals: observation of standing sound waves in the Kundt tube; determination of the amplitude of the sound wave depending on the given frequency; determining the frequency and wavelength corresponding to the first resonance; determination of the wave propagation speed by resonant frequencies.
12. Propagation of Sound in Rods
Goals: analysis using an oscilloscope of the influence of the material and the rods length on the sound pulses; determination of the speed of propagation of longitudinal sound waves in materials over time; determination of the modulus of elasticity of materials by the speed of propagation of longitudinal waves and their density.
