All of these applets will require that you have the Hypercosm Player installed. You can download the free Hypercosm Player for Windows, MacOS, and Linux here.
Official
Now that Hypercosm is back, check out their official showcase!
Games
- Air Hockey - Tabletop air hockey
- Classic Pack - Clones of Pong and Breakout
- Colour Chaos - Puzzle Game
- Hyperbubble - Action puzzle game
- Moshball - Action game
- Similarity - Puzzle game
Educational Applets for the National Science Center
I discovered that the National Science Center still have many of the the old Hypercosm applets up! This is a real mixed bag, there is some iffy stuff in here, but there is also some great work that really explains science well.
These applets are some of the best examples of Hypercosm's ability to create useful, educational, explainations. (Hypercosm's focus on this strength lead to using "Because you have some explaining to do" as a corporate slogan for a while.)
Unfortunately not all of the applets are represented here, they have apparently been lost.
- Lasers
- Laser Height - Shows how light can be used to measure distance.
- Laser Optics - Illustrates differences in color, focus, and content between white light and laser light.
- Laser Rangefinder - Showas how laser light can be used to measure distance.
- Magnets
- Mass Driver - Simulates firing an object using magnetic coils fired in sequence.
- Compass - Simulates reaction a compass has to nearby magnetic fields.
- Magnetic Forces - Demonstrates interaction of magnets with each other.
- Magnetic Chair - Simulates effect of magnetic force on nearby moving metal object.
- ElectroMagnetic Fields - Simulates effect of a magnetic field on a metal object.
- Newton's First Law of Motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. (An object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion tends to stay in motion.)
- Newton's Cradle - Demonstates Newton's First Law of Motion.
- Puck Launch - Example of Newton's First Law in action.
- Newton's Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal or opposite reaction.
- Zero G Tools - Example of Newton's Law of Action and Reaction.
- Action-Reaction Chair - Demonstration of Newton?s Third Law of Motion - for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction.
- Rocket Launch - Simulation of action-reaction process duing a rocket launch.
- Point of View / Inertial Frame of Reference
- Point of View: Zero-G Ferris Wheel - Demonstration of the important of Point of View of Frames of Reference.
- Spin Doctor - Simulation of the scientific concept of Point of View, or the Inertial Frame of Reference.
- Sound
- Sound Beat Phenomena - Investigates patterns of sound.
- Speed of Sound - Investigates speed of sound waves.
- Boing! Light - Demonstrates several factors that influence changes in wave frequency.
- Cathode Tube - Simulates operation of a Cathode Ray Tube. (Most televisions and computer screens are Cathode Ray Tubes.)
- Chaotic Pendulum - Shows how very small changes in initial conditions can quickly cause large differences in chaotic systems.
- Coupled Pendulums - Shows how total energy of the system is conserved.
- Ellipse - Demonstrates that the sum of the distances from the two focal poitns to any point on an ellipse is constant.
- Floating Stone - Simulates the use of water to reduce friction.
- Gravity Well - Simulation of effect gravity has on a moving object in outer space.
- Space-Gyro Stabilizers - Demonstrates how gyro stabilizers are used for spacecraft navigation.
- Gyro Tops - Demonstrates precession, angular momentum, and motion of a gyroscope.
- Gyrocycle - Simulated movement produces example of precession motion.
- Hearing- The Ear - Simluation of sound waves causing an eardrum to vibrary and stimulate nerve endings, allowing hearing.
- High Wire Bike - Demonstrate effects of center of mass on an unstable object.
- Hydropower - Simulates how a hydroelectric dam produces electricity.
- Space Moon Walk - Demonstrates how a change in weight manifests itself.
- Pendulum - Simulates a pendulum, showing that period is based on length, not amplitude.
- Power Generation - Simulates how wind energy can be converted into electrical energy.
- Resonance - Explores resonant frequency.
- Ripple Tank - Simulates water, light, or electromagnetic radiation (radio) wave action.
- Skater - Example of Angular Momentum.
- Sonar - Simulates detection of underwater objects using sound.
- Son of Spin Doctor - Simulates what happens when a secondary force is applied to a moving object.
- Square Wheels - Demonstates principle of a cycloid.
- Trajectories - Investigate and predict launch ballistic trajectories.
- Water Gravity Hill - Shows how centripetal force causes a body of liquid to take on a paraboloidic shape.
Chuck Spencer
Chuck Spencer has made some of the applets he created available online. These include learning applets on DNA replication and gaits of motion, a study in animal animation, a Mars Global Surveyor applet for the New York Times, and a few games. Check out Chuck Spencer's applets
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor has made some of the old Hypercosm applets available. This includes some never publically released games!
New York Times
Hypercosm created a number of applets for the New York Times on the Web Science section. Unfortunately only a few are still online.