~ Early Web Links ~

The official homepage of Gerard 't Hooft, Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist at Utrecht University, covering his research into quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and black hole physics. Visitors can access his lecture notes, publication list, curriculum vitae, and his ongoing work on deterministic quantum mechanics and the origins of quantum behavior.

A lecture page from a University of Houston astronomy course (ASTR 3131) explaining Einstein's theory of general relativity and the concept of curved spacetime. It covers how mass and energy deform the fabric of spacetime, using accessible analogies like a ball on a bedsheet to illustrate four-dimensional curvature.

The Open Source Physics project, supported by NSF and the AAPT, provides free computational curriculum resources including simulations, modeling tools, and student worksheets designed to help learners explore physical phenomena through computer modeling. Highlights include the Tracker video analysis tool and Easy Java Simulations (EJS) framework, making it a comprehensive hub for physics educators and students at all levels.

The official site for NASA's Gravity Probe B mission, a Stanford University experiment designed to test two key predictions of Einstein's general theory of relativity using ultra-precise gyroscopes orbiting Earth. Visitors can explore the mission's history dating back to 1959, the groundbreaking engineering advances required to make it possible, technical papers, image galleries, and video overviews of spacetime concepts.

William J. Beaty, an electrical engineer from Seattle, explores the fascinating physics of traffic jams, treating highway congestion as fluid dynamics and demonstrating how a single driver can dissolve traffic waves. The site features animations, videos, experiments, and links to academic research on 'jam-absorption driving,' making it a surprisingly deep dive into an everyday phenomenon.

HyperPhysics is a sprawling educational reference site from Georgia State University covering virtually every topic in physics through an interconnected web of concept maps and concise explanations. Visitors can explore everything from classical mechanics and thermodynamics to quantum physics and relativity, with formulas, diagrams, and worked examples throughout.

Created by a University of Toronto physicist, this collection features 99 Flash animations covering topics from Quantum Mechanics and Relativity to Chaos and Fluid Mechanics, making abstract physics concepts visually intuitive. A bonus tutorial teaches how to build your own physics animations in Flash, and the animations are available in multiple languages under a Creative Commons license.

PhysicsPages is a detailed self-study companion covering classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, electrodynamics, relativity, string theory, and more, written with honest, jargon-free explanations that avoid the dreaded 'obviously' of typical textbooks. The creator presents rigorous, math-heavy notes designed for university students or independent learners working through structured physics topics.

The Chaos Group at the University of Maryland presents their research into chaotic dynamics, covering topics like fractal basin boundaries, chaotic scattering, strange attractors, and controlling chaos. Affiliated with multiple departments including Physics, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering, this site offers a window into decades of groundbreaking nonlinear dynamics research dating back to the mid-1970s.

Robert G. Brown, a physicist at Duke University, shares an extensive collection of free online textbooks, physics study materials, poetry collections, philosophy essays, and beowulf cluster computing resources. The site is a sprawling intellectual hub covering everything from GPL software tools to metaphysics, all freely licensed under an open public license.