Jack's BASIC Physics

Author: Jack Ord   jackord@kw.igs.net
301-4 Willow Street
Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2J 4S2
Host: Information Gateway Services

Introduction

Jack's Page was launched in 1995 when the Internet and Java were both young, and all computers were able and willing to run Java Applets. Its aim was to introduce simple numerical methods for dealing with problems in physics. Its target audience was high-school seniors and university undergraduates with an interest in writing their own programs, but it was hoped that a wider audience also might enjoy running the Applets. By the Spring of 2015, few web browsers were either able or willing to run Java, and hence I retired Jack's Page at the end of its 20-year run.

Jack's BASIC Physics takes a different approach to the Internet. The web browser is only called on to display an illustrated catalog of BBC BASIC programs. To run a program, the user must download it into a computer that has BBC BASIC. The catalog gives only brief program descriptions leaving equations and details for the source code listings. The illustrations are screen images showing the programs at work. Jack's BASIC Physics does not claim to replace Jack's Page with its 90 Java Applets, but it will grow slowly over time.

Index

Newton's Law and the Feynman Algorithm

• The Mass on a Spring
• The Simple Pendulum
• The Driven Oscillator
• Air Resistance: Ball Going Up And Back Down
• Air Resistance: Hitting a Homerun
• Central-Force Motion: Orbits
• Central-Force Motion: Apsides
• Gravitational and Electrostatic Fields
• Three-Body Problem: Trojan Asteroids