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What is The Physics Aviary?
The Physics Aviary is a free collection of cross-platform, run-anywhere physics programs created by Frank McCulley since 2013. Its stated purpose is to help physics students worldwide master big ideas in physics. The programs are presented without ads, cookies, trackers, or AI, and the site says all resources are available free of charge. It also includes homework/classwork problems, with updates adding student names before work begins, color-coded certificates, translation-ready programs, and worksheets for some problems.
Who it is for
- Physics students who need interactive practice or visual simulations.
- Teachers looking for ready-made classwork, homework, or lab-style resources.
- Ukrainian-speaking students and instructors, since there is a dedicated Ukrainian resource section.
What you will find
- Interactive physics programs and simulations.
- Homework and classwork problem sets.
- Worksheets for selected tougher problems.
- Translation-ready versions of updated programs.
- Links to other recommended sites if the Aviary lacks a specific resource.
A practical next step: browse the resource categories for your topic, then open one program and one related homework problem to see whether the format fits your course. If you teach in another language, the site says updated programs can be converted; reach out through the contact email listed on the page to start that process.
How can I find physics simulations and problems for a specific topic on The Physics Aviary?
Use the site’s topic-organized resource lists rather than a keyword search: The Physics Aviary groups its free programs by physics area, and the homepage excerpt says the resources are presented “above” the introductory text. So start by scanning the navigation or resource categories at the top of The Physics Aviary, then choose the broad area that matches your topic (for example mechanics, electricity, waves or modern physics), and open the specific simulation, homework problem or worksheet listed there.
A practical workflow:
- Identify the exact concept, not just the course name. “Projectile motion” is easier to place than “physics 101.”
- Pick the matching category, then look for a program title that names the concept or a closely related one.
- Open the program and check whether it is a simulation, a problem set or a worksheet. The page notes that worksheets are being added to some homework problems to guide students through tougher questions on paper.
- If a problem asks for a name, enter it before starting; the site says names will be entered before students begin so they are not forgotten at the end.
- For a different language, look for updated programs that are translation-ready and contact the site if you want help converting one.
For a concrete scenario: a teacher preparing a circular-motion lesson would go to the mechanics-related category, choose the circular-motion simulation or problem, and pair it with the worksheet if one is listed. A student revising alone would do the same, then use the color-coded certificate—green for good, red for wrong—as a quick self-check after finishing.
If the exact topic is not listed, the homepage suggests checking the other sites listed below its own resources. Treat those as a fallback, not the first stop, because the site’s own topic lists are the most direct route.
Are the physics programs on The Physics Aviary suitable for high school students or college-level courses?
They can serve both, but the fit depends on the specific program rather than the site as a whole. The Physics Aviary describes its programs as cross-platform, run-anywhere tools built to help physics students “master the big ideas in physics,” and it makes them free without ads, cookies, trackers, or AI. That broad mission covers topics that appear in high school physics, AP-style courses, and introductory college sequences.
The site also shows signs of being used beyond the introductory level: its Ukrainian resources section describes laboratory-work resources for students and instructors at higher education institutions. That does not mean every simulation is college-level; it means the collection spans a range.
How to judge a specific program
- High school: Look for programs tied to first-year concepts—kinematics, forces, energy, circuits, waves, optics. Many of these work well for guided practice, homework, or lab prep.
- Introductory college: The same topics fit, especially where students need to visualize a model before doing calculations. The “worksheets” mentioned in the site’s updates can support students who need paper-based scaffolding.
- Upper-level college: Do not assume suitability from the site name alone. Check whether the program includes the calculus, vector, or advanced formalism your course requires.
A practical next step is to open the specific program you are considering and compare its variables, controls, and expected calculations against your learning objectives. For example, a simulation that lets students change initial velocity and angle can support a high school projectile lab; the same simulation may be too guided for a college mechanics course that expects students to derive the model themselves.
If you are teaching in another language, the site notes that programs are being made translation-ready. That can matter for college courses with international students or for high school classes taught in a language other than English.
How do I use the homework problems and worksheets on The Physics Aviary to help my students practice?
The Physics Aviary hosts free, cross-platform physics programs that run in a browser, and its homework/classwork problems are the main practice tool for students. According to the site's own update notes, the problems are being revised so students enter their names before starting (so they don't forget to identify their work at the end), and certificates are color-coded—green for correct, red for wrong. Worksheets are being added to some resource pages to guide students through tougher problems and encourage working on paper.
A practical way to assign practice
- Pick the problem set that matches your current topic, then preview it yourself once. Check whether a worksheet is linked on that resource page; if one exists, assign it alongside the problem so students have a structured place to show reasoning.
- Tell students to enter their full name at the start. The name-entry step is deliberate, and it makes the resulting certificate usable as evidence of completion.
- Decide how you'll treat the certificate. Green/red coding tells you at a glance whether a student's final answers were right, but it doesn't show their method—so pair it with the worksheet or a photo of their handwritten work if you want to see process, not just outcome.
- Use the run-anywhere nature of the programs for homework. Because they work across platforms in a browser, students on phones, Chromebooks, tablets or lab desktops can all access the same activity without installing anything—useful for mixed-device classes and for students working at home.
Matching the tool to your goal
| If your goal is… | Lean on… | Watch out for… |
|---|---|---|
| Quick skill drill with instant feedback | Homework/classwork problems | Certificate shows correctness, not reasoning |
| Scaffolding a hard multi-step problem | Problems with a linked worksheet | Worksheets aren't on every resource page yet |
| Paper-based working and annotation | Worksheet plus written solutions | Extra step for students to submit both |
| Non-English-speaking students | Translation-ready programs | You may need to contact the site author to get a language started |
Two concrete scenarios
A teacher with a BYOD class can assign a problem set as homework, have students enter names, and collect the green/red certificates as a fast completion-and-accuracy check the next morning—then spend class time on the worksheet problems where students got red certificates.
A teacher whose students work in another language can ask about translating a program, since the site notes that programs are being made "translation ready" and the author offers to help get that process started. The site also links Ukrainian-language lab resources developed by Myroslava Chernova for students at the National Technical University of Oil and Gas, which is worth knowing if you teach Ukrainian speakers.
For related free practice material, The Physics Aviary itself points visitors to other sites when a topic isn't covered, so if you can't find a match for a specific unit, that's the moment to look at the alternatives it lists rather than forcing an ill-fitting activity.
Can I translate The Physics Aviary programs into a language other than English for my students?
Yes. The Physics Aviary's own site notes that programs are being made "translation ready" so they can be converted into other languages, and it invites teachers to reach out for help getting started. The site also points to an existing Ukrainian-language resource set created by a physics instructor for her university students, which shows the approach has already been used in practice.
If you want to translate for your class, the practical path is:
- Identify the specific programs you assign, since updates are rolling out gradually and not every program may be ready yet.
- Contact the site author before you start, so you work from the current version and get guidance on the intended process.
- Decide whether you need the interface, the problem text, or both translated; homework and classwork problems are the part being reworked with names, color-coded certificates, and worksheets, so those are moving targets.
- Involve a subject-competent translator. Physics wording matters more than fluent phrasing — a mistranslated unit or sign convention creates confusion you will have to debug later.
The trade-off is effort versus reach: a single translated simulation can serve a whole cohort, but if the program changes, your translation needs updating. For a one-off lesson, pairing the English program with a short translated glossary may be more efficient than a full conversion.
A useful next step is to check the resource pages for the programs you use, then email the site with your language, the program list, and your timeline.
What should I do if I encounter a problem or have a question about using The Physics Aviary?
Contact the site's creator directly by email. The Physics Aviary is a one-person project, and the site explicitly invites questions and comments, so a short, specific message is the intended support channel. The address currently listed is [email protected] (note that the site mentions a newer address placed at the bottom of its page, so check there first if a message bounces).
H3 What to put in your message
- Which program or page you were using, with its title or URL
- What you expected to happen and what actually happened
- Your device, browser and operating system, since the programs are built to run cross-platform
- A screenshot if the issue is visual
- For teachers: whether you need a translation, since the site is being made translation-ready
H3 Before you write Check the Latest News section on the homepage. Updates, worksheet additions and problem revisions are announced there, so a known issue may already be fixed. If you are looking for a topic the site does not cover, the homepage also points to a short list of other resources worth trying.
H3 If your question is about content The site's own material is free, ad-free and tracker-free, so there is no account, login or purchase to troubleshoot. Questions about the physics itself are best framed around the specific simulation or problem set you were assigned, which makes a reply faster and more useful.
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