🚀 go-pugleaf

This is a tough call.  I am assuming that you already have a pretty good
set of traditional physics lab equipment and are looking to enhance your
lab by incorporating some mbl's or simulations.
I would first ask if you want students doing things or simulating
things....Does your curriculum already have a lot of labs and other hands
on activities?  If so then some simulation type activities might be in
order.  If not then i would strongly encourage acquiring equipment that
requires participation.  What parts of your curriculum already have a good
set of lab activities and what parts could use some help?  I am also
assuming that you have spread sheet and basic word processing software at
your disposal.

My personal totally biased recommendations would include:
        Some type of multipurpose lab interface
                 I like the ULI setup from Vernier
        An ultrasonic motion detector
        A student force sensor for the ULI
        A microphone amplifier for the ULI (get the kit and save some money)

        A copy of the "tools for scientific thinking project" directed by
Ronald Thornton.

This is obviously not ideal as it will give you one lab setup for all of
your students.  It would be a start and you could add to this setup each
year.

To this i would add an inexpensive night sky program. Around here
students are always printing out what the sky will be tonight.....

I would add Graphs and Tracks from Physics Academic Software ($80 for one
copy $240 for a 10 pack)

If you teach special relativity you really should have 'Rellab' from the
same source above. (this may only be a mac program)

If you teach any particle physics you should have a copy of "chamber
works" (i dont remember if there is a windows version of this as we have
a mac version here)

Interactive Physics would be nice but given the budget constraints it
would not be my first purchase.

i would also surf the typical ftp sites for physics related shareware,
and check out the software by R. W. Tarara from St. Mary's College.

Bruce Esser
Physics Teacher                   Something witty
Marian High School                     Should go here
Omaha NE
http://marian.creighton.edu