"Version: 20161001"--Title page verso.

"A Morgan & Claypool publication as part of IOP Concise Physics"--Title page verso.

Preface -- 1. Using computer animation to learn physics -- 1.1. What is computer animation? -- 1.2. Why computer animation with physics? -- 1.3. Why computer animation in a course on physics? -- 1.4. Like video games?

2. A taste of using computer for physics -- 2.1. PhysGL : easy computer graphics in the cloud -- 2.2. What-if calculations -- 2.3. A motion diagram -- 2.4. Our own motion diagram -- 2.5. More from the computer -- 2.6. Even more from the computer -- 2.7. What about an animation? -- 2.8. Different accelerations on an object

3. Preliminaries : things you should know -- 3.1. Mathematics -- 3.2. The idea of a function -- 3.3. Vectors : more than ‘magnitude and direction'

4. Getting started with simple programming -- 4.1. Introduction -- 4.2. Skeleton code -- 4.3. Basic PhysGL programming -- 4.4. Structure of the skeleton code -- 4.5. The if statement -- 4.6. Doing math with PhysGL

5. Drawing with PhysGL -- 5.1. Introduction -- 5.2. Coordinate system -- 5.3. Drawing examples -- 5.4. Colors -- 5.5. Drawing physics-related objects -- 5.6. Creating plots

6. One-dimensional motion -- 6.1. Introduction and goals -- 6.2. The physics -- 6.3. Projects -- 6.4. Wrap-up questions

7. Two-dimensional motion -- 7.1. Introduction and goals -- 7.2. The physics -- 7.3. Projects -- 7.4. Wrap-up questions

8. Forces and Newton's laws (part I) -- 8.1. Introduction and goals -- 8.2. The physics -- 8.3. Projects -- 8.4. Wrap-up questions

9. Forces and Newton's laws (part II) -- 9.1. Introduction and goals -- 9.2. The physics -- 9.3. Projects -- 9.4. Wrap-up questions

10. Energy : kinetic, potential, conservation, and work -- 10.1. Introduction and goals -- 10.2. The physics -- 10.3. Projects -- 10.4. Wrap-up questions

11. Momentum and conservation of momentum -- 11.1. Introduction and goals -- 11.2. The physics -- 11.3. Projects -- 11.4. Wrap-up questions

12. Rotational motion -- 12.1. Introduction and goals -- 12.2. The physics -- 12.3. Projects -- 12.4. Wrap-up questions

13. Torque, angular acceleration, and momentum -- 13.1. Introduction and goals -- 13.2. The physics -- 13.3. Projects

Appendices -- A. How do I ... -- B. Capstone project -- C. Benefits : insights and new pedagogical avenues.

This book shows how the web-based PhysGL programming environment (http://physgl.org) can be used to teach and learn elementary mechanics (physics) using simple coding exercises. The book's theme is that the lessons encountered in such a course can be used to generate physics-based animations, providing students with compelling and self-made visuals to aid their learning. Topics presented are parallel to those found in a traditional physics text, making for straightforward integration into a typical lecture-based physics course. Users will appreciate the ease at which compelling OpenGL-based graphics and animations can be produced using PhysGL, as well as its clean, simple language constructs. The author argues that coding should be a standard part of lower-division STEM courses, and provides many anecdotal experiences and observations, that include observed benefits of the coding work.

Undergraduate and graduate physics and science students and professionals.

Also available in print.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Tom Bensky is a physics professor at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, CA (USA), known as 'Cal Poly'. He has had a lifelong interest in computer graphics and enjoys teaching a range of classes from ASTRO-101 to advanced labs. His research interests include precision time-keeping, community outreach with physics, and international education.

Title from PDF title page (viewed on November 2, 2016).