Some recommended apps that can be downloaded from the Apple App Store:
Solar Walk, described below.
1.TED
This app is a video library of talks given by some of the world’s most fascinating people, free to download and watch. The official TED app has all the talks that can be found on the website on a range of subjects, including but not limited to education, technology, medicine, business, science and music, or any combination thereof. There are currently over 1,100 talks that are updated every week. Videos can be watched in high or low resolution, straight away or saved for later offline viewing. Search criteria can be limited by tags (such as jaw-dropping, courageous or ingenious), topics, guest speakers and even the amount of time you have to watch.
2. Visible Body 2
An interactive model of the human body, Visible Body is a great app for people with a keen interest in anatomy. Although expensive, it is ideal for students learning anatomy with amazing 3D models of structures, the visibility of which can be changed to view from any angle. Images can be annotated and come with definitions and a short summary of the structure and its function. It is highly recommended for those studying Biology or anyone who would like to learn more about the human body using a detailed, interactive tool available on their phone or tablet.
3. Solar Walk
Solar Walk is a time-sensitive interactive model full of information about our solar system and the Milky Way galaxy. Great graphics and an easy to use interface have resulted in an app that is fun and educational. Planets can be seen close up with their moons and their inner structures viewed, as well as comets, man-made satellites and current missions such as the Curiosity mission on Mars. The entire galaxy can be explored from any viewpoint by zooming and spinning. Information about each planet including their trajectories, historical facts and exploration can be found when viewing the planet. (Picture above)
4. Khan Academy
Videos explaining many of the topics found on high school curriculums consisting of narrated sketches with subtitles that explain difficult concepts in a very easy to understand manner. Highly recommended for those studying Biology, Maths, Physics, Finance and Economics, Humanities and Chemistry at the A2 level in England, it is a good app to consolidate learning done in the classroom. Almost anything can be learnt for free using this app and its many videos in a short space of time.
To see more, visit http://www.khanacademy.org/
5. Molecules
A fun app for viewing 3D models of molecules that can be manipulated using your fingers. Molecules uses the RCSB Protein Data Bank (http://www.rcsb.org/pdb ), so almost any biological molecule can be downloaded for viewing on the app. Once downloaded, the model can be rotated and zoomed in upon, enabling it to be looked at from almost any angle in ball-and-stick and spacefilling modes.
6. Elemental
Elemental is an app useful for sketching chemical compounds on your phone or tablet for free. Structures can be drawn by dragging atoms and bonds onto the blank drawing space, and once you have created a compound you can calculate properties and tweet your molecule if you would like to. Chemical reactions can also be sketched out and saved to your cameral roll. This app is recommended because it’s great if you want to draw out a reaction clearly, create a specific compound and save its structure or just want to play around with the full periodic table and see what you can make. It’s useful for those studying A-Level Chemistry at school.
7. The Elements
An interactive periodic table that provides plenty of information about each element, including its discovery, historical and scientific facts such as atomic weight, density, melting point, boiling point and other interesting facts. Stunning high resolution 360 degree visuals of each element make this app (available on the iPhone and iPad) worth its price of £6.99. Useful and highly recommended for those studying A-Level Chemistry at school, it’s also great for anyone who wants to know more about the periodic table and the elements.
