StuffThatMatters: Open Source Software
Step is one of the least known, but best developed software I have encountered, used and been fascinated by. A free software, free as in speech, Step is a testament to the glory of open-source, and tells us yet again, why Linux is best suited for education.
Step is actually a simulator, that simulates the behaviour of real-world particles as per the laws of classical Newtonian mechanics. This helps us see the laws of mechanics in action, in real time. This might be a bit unfamiliar at first, especially if you haven't used a physics simulator previously, but basically it is quite similar to the particle simulators available on Android. Only, it's much, much better and feature-rich.
What's this thing called Step?
Step, as the KDE project page describes it, is an interactive physics simulator. However, that's a very brief description, and doesn't, in my opinion, do justice to the abilities of this fascinating piece of software.
Step is a powerful 2-D engine that is capable of simulating the laws of physics, involving the intuitive and counter-intuitive interactions between simple particles, forces, mechanisms such as motors, springs, waves etc. It is hugely expandable, thanks to the inbuilt scripting ability, and a whole array of downloadable examples make it one of the best in its category of simulators.
What can I do with Step?
Step allows you to visualize the laws of physics. Mostly, we understand things like Coulomb's law of electrostatic attraction or the classical law of Newtonian gravitation etc with the use of:
1. Math equations
2. Static diagrams
However, Step adds one more dimension to this process of grasping the concept, by allowing us to view the dynamism of these laws, mechanisms, actions of simple machines etc. Rather than limiting ourselves to a static approach, Step helps us get a more dynamic picture of the process, using precise mathematical computation and an adorable array of visual elements.
An excellent use of Step, as I've discovered recently, is its ability to work with Kinetic theory. Using the particulate model of gases, Step allows us to see for ourselves, how macroscopic properties like pressure, temperature etc are related to the microscopic interactions between the constituents of these gases. It's a joy to witness the mechanism.
The above screenshot of Step, grabbed from Wikimedia, shows the simulation of simplified gasoline system, generated using particulate model of gasoline as per the kinetic theory.
Unique features of Step
Other than being completely free to download, install, share, distribute, study the code of, and modify, Step packs in an array of beautiful features that make this software so adorable. The official list of features can be found here: http://ift.tt/1s5leKF
Some of notable features, that I find delightful, are as follows:
1. Measurements: Step can be used to measure the data mined out of simulations. Various parameters, ranging from vector sum of forces to the average pressure of a compressed gas at a given condition etc can be calculated and displayed in real time using Step.
2. Graphs: Step can automatically generate graphs of parameters against other parameters, thereby telling us more about the state of the mechanism we're simulating at any given point of time.
3. Automatic unit conversion: Units are handled and converted automatically. To quote from the official documentation, "you can enter something like '(2 days + 3 hours) * 80 km/h' and it will be accepted as distance value"
4. Error calculation: Step helps us visualize how the final state of a system changes, even when we enter the initial parameters with error margins.
5. Lightweight: Step, relying on the powerful UNIX philosophy, is extremely lightweight, and can run on virtually any old computer (by today's standard, at least).
6. Downloadable examples: Other than creating and storing your own mechanisms, you can download a vast collection of freely available examples, to help you see how Step works.
7. Flawless simulation: Simulation is not buggy at all, and can run smoothly whether you have a modern graphics card or not.
How to install
Officially, Step is a part of the larger KDE Education Project, a bundle of free, high-quality software for promoting the use of Linux (mainly K Desktop Environment) in education and research. As such, it's available readily for Linux-based OSes, through various repositories and package managers.
It's also available as the source, if you're willing to study/modify/compile it from scratch, on its official website.
For non-Linux systems, Step isn't readily available. However, Windows users can make use of KDE on Windows, which can then run Step. However, being a native Linux user, I confess that I haven't tried it practically.
If you ask me, Step gives you an excellent reason to switch to a free software OS for education and research. You can always keep your existing Windows or Mac, and dual-boot a Linux OS like Ubuntu or OpenSuse, to harness the benefits the great open-source initiative and Free Software Movements have to offer.
References and links
http://ift.tt/1s5leKH (Official project page)
http://ift.tt/1s5lf0V (Step Handbook)
#KDE #science #freesoftware #physics #linux
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