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Below are links to prototypes of PhET simulations that include sonification, i.e. the use of non-speech sounds to convey meaning. These prototypes are part of an ongoing research and development project to incorporate sonification into PhET simulations. The goal of this work is to increase the accessibility of the simulations and to explore how multimodal features (such as the addition of sound) can support student engagement. These prototypes are part of our early experimentation with sonification.
Note: As of February 2015, these prototypes have only been tested in the Chrome browser.
| Theremin-like sound with heavy reverb for voltage level and light bulb brightness, stereo panning that corresponds to needle deflection, various audio icons for controls. | 1.0.1-sonification.9 |
| Theremin-like sound with light reverb for voltage level and light bulb brightness, stereo panning that corresponds to needle deflection, various audio icons for controls. | 1.0.1-sonification.8 |
| Theremin-like sound with no reverb for voltage level and light bulb brightness, stereo panning that corresponds to needle deflection, various audio icons for controls. | 1.0.1-sonification.7 |
| Constant pitch sound for voltage level and light bulb brightness, uses different base pitch to distinguish between positive and negative voltage. Magnitude is indicated by volume of sound and low frequency modulation. Various audio icons for controls. | 1.0.1-sonification.2 |
| Realistic sounds for water and solution being added and removed, fed through a filter in order to create a sonic cue for water depth. Realistic sound for shaker. Synthesized tones for solute selection. Various audio icons for controls. No sound for evaporation or concentration readout. | 1.2.0-sonification.3 |
| Simple sine wave tone for indicating water depth. Somewhat realistic sound for shaker. Various audio icons for controls. No sound for several major simulation features. | 1.2.0-sonification.1 |