NOVA Concept Lab

Interactive visualizations of high-value concepts from UIUC weeder courses. Drag the controls and watch the math change in real time. Each lab teaches one idea; it never produces work you turn in.

Calculus - MATH 220 / 221

The Derivative as a Limit

Shrink the step h toward zero and watch the secant line become the tangent - the geometric meaning of the derivative.

Circuits - ECE 110 / 210 / PHYS 212

The RC Charging Curve

Drag R and C and watch the capacitor voltage approach the source, with the time constant tau = R*C and the 63.2%-at-t=tau property marked.

Algorithms - CS 374

Why Memoization Beats Naive Recursion

See the recursion tree explode exponentially, then watch memoization collapse the repeated subproblems into a linear number of distinct calls.

Chemistry - CHEM 102 / 104

Chemical Equilibrium: A and B

Raise the equilibrium constant K and watch the A and B mixture re-balance to [A] = C/(1+K) and [B] = C*K/(1+K) for a fixed total amount.

Mechanics - PHYS 211

Projectile Motion

Drag the launch speed and angle and watch the range, peak height, and flight time change - range is symmetric about 45 degrees.

Calculus - MATH 220 / 221

Riemann Sums

Estimate the exact area under f(x) = x^2 on [0, 3] (area = 9) with n rectangles. Drag the count and the sample point (left, midpoint, right) and watch the estimate close in - the midpoint rule converges fastest.

Statistics - STAT 100 / 200 / 400

The Normal Distribution

Drag the mean and standard deviation and watch the bell curve shift and stretch. The shaded band one standard deviation each side always holds about 68% of the area, whatever the mean or spread.

Probability - STAT 200 / 400

Bayes' Theorem and Base Rates

A test comes back positive - what is the chance you actually have the disease? Combine the base rate with the test's accuracy and watch the posterior collapse when the disease is rare, even with a near-perfect test.

Exam rehearsal - UIUC CBTF

CBTF Exam Rehearsal

UIUC grades more and more of you in the Computer-Based Testing Facility: in person, proctored, no notes, no AI, a hard 50-minute clock. Rehearse a timed practice circuit under those exact constraints - the skill you carry in unaided is the only thing that helps in the room.

These are fixed demonstrations - NOVA's interactive-visual study modality. The frontier work that follows generates a manipulable for the specific misconception in your own course's notation, with the interaction itself as a learning signal.