The presentation and layout of the controls makes the program fairly simple to use with some exceptions. The variable controls are easy to adjust, but the graphing controls can be complicating. The molecules changing colors is a good feature because the user can distinguish He from the Ne. Also, even the smallest changes to any variable shows a change in the animation and data. The "Gas Law Program" is a good applet that can be applied to chemistry at the high school and undergraduate level. Professors can use this when teaching and students can go back to reinforce concepts. The applet is also a helpful tool because it has activities that accompany it that can be used as labs or class work. The applet is a good tool for chemistry that makes learning gas laws simpler and more hands on.
Usability of the resource:Very usable Recommended subject areas:Chemistry Recommended audience:Learner Recommended education level:Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Higher Education
GuidedVerificationReview by Diana Tanase
Published / Modified 194 months 24 days ago
Usability of the resource:Usable Code runs without problems:No Comments:Had some problems adjusting slider bars. They occasionally get stuck and will not let you change them. Crashed once. Did the code crash:Sometimes Works in Explorer:Fully Compatible Works in Safari:Fully Compatible Works in Firefox:Somewhat Compatible Does the model require browser add-ons:Yes Comments:requires up to date java plug-in Does the model require a specific operating system:No Does the model run outside a browser:No Sufficient documentation to understand basics:Yes Sufficient documentation to select required inputs:Yes Sufficient to understand outputs:Yes Are the stated assumptions reasonable:Yes Comments:Model is easy to use as long as you read the lengthy instruction file. This requires downloading a pdf file. Comments:Worked very well aside from the stated problems with the slider bars and one freeze that required me to reload the page. Recommended improvements:Fix above problems and include an abreviated instruction page with the applet. Search Terms: gas law(s), chemistry applet, gas properties
VerificationReview by Adam Moskowitz
Published / Modified 194 months 24 days ago
The "Gas Law Program" is an interactive applet that allows users to study the effects of pressure, volume, temperature, and moles of gas. There is no background information or history about the program. The operating system used while running the applet was Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Using the Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers, the applet runs without any problems. The applet also tested successfully on Safari and Mac OS X. The only difference between the two browsers is that Mozilla Firefox has slightly different graphics than Internet Explorer. On the site, located at http://intro.chem.okstate.edu/1314F00/Laboratory/GLP.htm, the applet runs automatically. Information that can be found on the webpage is a link that leads to instructions and help. On this page, users can find information about the controls and what browser is necessary to run the applet. Links to the browser download is given and a direct link to the applet is provided once the browser is downloaded.
Usability of the resource:Very usable Platform(s) tested:winxp, osx Browser(s) tested:explorer, safari, firefox
ValidationReview by Adam Moskowitz
Published / Modified 194 months 24 days ago
Among the variables that can be changed are pressure (atm), volume (L), n (mole He), n (mol Ne), and temperature (K). The changes that are made to the variables can be seen in the animation which is a gas plunger. The gas plunger is inside a container and under the plunger are molecules that change in number, size, and color depending on the variables. Pause temporarily stops the animation, reset returns the program to default settings, and enable tracking tracks a single molecule through the animation. Also, there is a drop down menu that has velocities, relation, and help to choose from. Velocity shows the velocity distribution in a real time plot. Relation is a graphing option that graphs the animation on the x and y plane. Each axis has seven different methods for graphing. In relation mode, the graphs can either be single or multiple on one plot. Collisions are treated realistically, with a variable particle speed based on the result of collisions, and changes are gradual as parameters in the model are changed.