Atom in a Box HD
By Dauger Research, Inc.
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Description
Rewritten from scratch for the iPad, Atom in a Box HD is an aid for visualizing the Hydrogen atomic orbitals, the three-dimensional states that the electron occupies in Hydrogen, a prime and otherwise unwieldy example of Quantum Mechanics. It interactively shows, in an immersive environment, what the Hydrogen atom "looks" like. Unique among visualizations of Quantum Mechanics, it uses highly optimized code to perform 3D volumetric raytracing through the electron wavefunction's probability density and presents its results in real-time. It animates and mathematically describes all 2109 eigenstates up to the n=18 energy level. The app links to an online FAQ (see the Support link), and the atom rotates with the accelerometer and magnetometer. The bottom line is: Explore! The user are meant to explore all aspects of the atom, what it is and what it can do.
What's New in Version 1.0.2
Compatibility with iOS multitasking, pausing all internal processing
"Drift" switch in a larger sliding settings panel and implementation for cards
Corner user-interface elements dim after inactivity and restore when tapped
Changes to the display of the wavefunction's terms
- uses scientific notation when needed
- prevents unnecessarily large terms
- reduces, where the numerics allows, to their smallest integer values
iPad Screenshots
Customer Reviews
A must for classroom instruction
This app is an absolute must in physics or chemistry courses when a modern visualization of hydrogenic wavefunctions is needed. I use it several times each semester.
a good teaching tool, but not yet great
To disclose first, for many years I've used the mac version of atom in a box as a teaching tool. It is excellent -- unparalleled. For the development of chemistry and bonding, having the ability to set up hybrid orbitals (superposition in physics lingo) is incredibly helpful. Regretfully, this is missing in the ipad version. I would have contacted the developer directly, but their web pages provide no direct support information. The mac version also gives the opportunity to slice through wave functions showing 2D projections -- also very helpful but lacking here. And finally, while the floating buttons on the ipad version are cute at first, they become annoying when trying explain to a student. Fixed vs floating buttons should be an option. Updating the ipad HD version to function more like the mac version (that's been around for 10+ years) would make this a real five star app. As it currently is, the app shows colorful orbitals, but that's about it.
- $4.99
- Category: Education
- Updated: Apr 21, 2011
- Version: 1.0.2
- Size: 0.5 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: Dauger Research, Inc.
- © 2011 Dauger Research, Inc.
Requirements: Compatible with iPad.Requires iOS 4.2 or later.
