Studying a physics problem with the help of open source software

Tools for drawing, computing, and graphical representation of data can be exploited by students and educators for studying efficiently different physical systems, and for simulating their behaviour. This could lead to a deeper understanding of the model and help preparing laboratory activities. Some open source software packages make such tools readily available and accessible also to users without advanced programming skills. A few examples are considered in this work: the study of transient phenomena in the series RLC circuit; the dispersion of light through a prism; the free fall of an oil droplet in air, as used in Millikan's experiment. Similar codes might be suitably developed and adapted for study of simple physics problems.