| Standard Menu: To open the Standard Menu, position the cursor over the simulator. On a PC, click the right mouse button. On a Macintosh, hold down the Apple key and click the mouse. You can only open the Standard Menu in Stop mode.
Submenu (PCs only) | Commands
Document |
Load | Load a previously-saved simulator setup. See Save HTML.
Save | Save the current setup with a file name you specify. In most cases, you will find the Save HTML function better fitted to your needs.
Edit | Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy, Paste, and Delete are easier to execute using keyboard commands. See the keyboard commands page for descriptions of these functions.
Simulator |
Show script box | Open or close the Script Box.
Show control palette | Show or conceal the control palette (Run, Stop buttons).
Show shapes palette | Show or conceal the shapes or graphics palette.
Show elements palette main | Show or conceal the top elements palette (select, delete, battery, switch, four bulbs).
Show elements palette additional | Show or conceal the bottom elements palette (all other elements).
Show View palette | Show or conceal the view palette (Realistic and Schematic View tools).
Options |
Group | Group selected elements. After executing this command, you only need to select one grouped element to select all of them (disabled on PCs).
Ungroup | Ungroup selected elements (disabled on PCs).
All other options | See below.
Current Electricity Standard Menu Options Snap to grid Realistic. Force objects in Realistic View to be positioned on a grid. Default is off. Snap to grid Schematic. Force objects in Schematic View to be positioned on a grid. Default is on. Switch to Realistic View. Same as Realistic View tool (disabled on PCs). Switch to Schematic View. Same as Schematic View tool (disabled on PCs). Show voltage coloring. Display wires with a voltage coloring scheme in which red indicates the high, positive side of a potential difference, and blue indicates the low, negative side. The remaining colors (cyan, green, yellow, orange) indicate intermediate potential levels. See figure below. Show bulbs' current numbers. In Schematic View, display the current running through light bulbs using an ad hoc measurement system called current numbers. By default, a current number of 1.0 is equal to the current running through a 40 ohm bulb connected to a 1.5 volt battery (37.5 mA). You can change this setting in the background properties. See figure below. Show bulbs' brightness. In Schematic View, display the luminosity of light bulbs using an ad hoc measurement system called brightness. A brightness of 100 is the luminosity produced by a current with a current number of 1.0 running through a 40 ohm bulb. See figure below. Show current arrows. Display arrows that indicate the direction of current. If electron currents (below) is checked, the arrows display the direction of electron currents rather than standard currents. In the background properties, you can set both the standard arrow length (for a current with a current number of 1.0; default length is 60 pixels) and the current arrow color (black [default]; red [CPU standard color for positive charge, voltage, current]; or blue [CPU standard color for negative charge, voltage, current]). See figure below. Electron currents. If you choose to show current arrows (above), display electron currents rather than standard currents. See figure below. Fewer elements. Hide (or display) the buttons for the capacitor, resistor, ammeter, voltmeter, ohmmeter, diode, and socket.
The circuit depicted in this figure consists of two 1.5 volt batteries connected to two 40 ohm light bulbs. Both bulbs display a current number of 1.0 (37.5 mA) and a brightness of 100. The red voltage coloring of the top wire indicates the high side of the potential drop across the bulbs, while the blue coloring of the bottom wire shows the low potential side. The current arrows indicate the direction of electron currents. For this reason, the current arrow color is blue. The arrows have the standard length (30 pixels in this example) because the current number is 1.0. |