PhysMath: Simulations for upper-division physics topics with interactive equations

Physics students often struggle to connect mathematical and conceptual ideas in physics contexts – even when they can demonstrate the prerequisite knowledge in other contexts. This is especially prevalent in upper-division courses, wherein physic students investigate a plethora of rich phenomena through advanced, rigorous, and complex mathematical lenses. Due to the disparity in enrollment, Introductory physics courses have received far more attention in educational research than the upper-division courses. As such, there exists a wealth of digital simulations covering introductory-level concepts – often with minimal to no mathematical aspects – and comparably few educational tools for advanced physics topics. To address these needs, the PhysMath research team has developed a suite of free-to-access digital simulations, which model upper-division physics phenomena and include explicit mathematical engagement through interactive equations.