Molecules by Theodore Gray
© 2014 Touch Press
Turn your iPad into a specialized science kit specifically designed to let you explore 348 select molecules, from carbohydrates to caffeine. This app is a sequel to The Elements and The Elements in Action (both also by science geek Theodore Gray, with help from Max Whitby and others). You can jump into one of 16 categories from the main menu, or browse this app in book fashion, swiping through the content one screen/page at a time. The text is fun to read, but there are no narration or text scaffolding features. Nearly every image can be rotated using Touch Press' famous display technique, but sadly there is no zoom function or sound. You discover some wonderful interactive surprises, however, like the ability to slide your finger across the screen to test substances under different conditions, such as in a flame. The headline feature in this app is the molecule simulator, that starts with a "traditional" map of a molecule, but then lets you toggle between 2D/3D/fill modes on the fly, as well as change temperature settings that let you see how the movement of the molecule changes when this important variable is changed. It helps you understand how molecules continually vibrate, spin and stretch (the simulation elements were adapted from the NAMD simulation engine from the University of Illinois). You'll also find "still life videos" (a term coined by Touch Press) that you can control by touch to reveal the unique properties of different substances. The bottom line? The rotating images and molecule simulator will delight serious scientists as well as a child who simply wants to see what happens when silk comes in contact with a flame.
$13.99, iPad
Teaches: science, chemistry, molecules, quantum mechanics, compounds
CTR Rating: 90%