STARTING SIMULATORS: THE BASICS

Note (for those doing Custom Installs): To follow the Starting Simulators instructions exactly, you must include the Static Electricity & Magnetism simulators in your installation. If you did not install Static E&M, substitute appropriately below using another simulator.

1. Double-click on the shortcut, , that is located on your desktop.
   
   Internet Explorer opens the main index that includes links to the index pages for the six simulator content areas.
   
   Multi-User Installation only: Internet Explorer first prompts you to log in. For now, log in using any names in the Your Name and Your Group fields. Then click Done. When prompted, confirm that you want to add this new user to the database. Internet Explorer then will open the main index.
   
   
2. From the main index, click on the link labeled Static Electricity & Magnetism Simulators to open the Static E&M index.
   
   On the Static E&M index, click the link labeled Electric & Magnetic Field Patterns.
   
   
3. After the simulator opens, click on the button for the Magnet , which is located in the button panel on the upper right. When you position the cursor over the Magnet button, a small field that says "Bar Magnet" will pop up, confirming the identity of the button.
   
   Place a magnet by clicking in the simulation window (the large blue box to the left of the button panel).
   
   
4. Click on the button for the Compass Needle . Then place a compass needle in the simulation window.
   
   
5. To turn on the magnetic field, click on the Run button (located on the bottom right button panel). In all simulators, the Run button turns on the simulated physics.
   
   
6. To move the compass needle, click on the button for the Select tool .
   
   Then position the cursor over the compass needle. Depress the mouse button and move the mouse. The compass needle moves with the cursor.
   
   Release the mouse button. After you let go, the compass needle orients itself to the magnetic field.
   
   
7. Practice placing and moving several more compass needles. Try mapping out the magnetic field using the compass needles.
   
   
8. Turn off the magnetic field by clicking on the Stop button , which is located next to the Run button.

 

For more information about the simulator, click on the Help button , which is part of the button panel nearest the bottom of the page. The Help pages document every feature of the simulators. You should find them useful.

In addition, we strongly urge you to take the CPU Simulator Tutorials. The tutorials give you a guided, interactive, in-depth introduction to the simulators and their capabilities that the Help pages alone can't provide. In particular, the Simulator Basics tutorials provides a detailed introduction to features common to all simulators (the link connects to the Simulator Basics tutorial for the Static E&M simulators).

Enjoy!