MyPhysicsLab – Physics Simulation with Java

Click on one of the physics simulations below... you'll see them animating in real time, and be able to interact with them by dragging objects or changing parameters like gravity. Get Java software if you don't already have it.

single spring	double spring	pendulum	chaotic pendulum
double pendulum	2D spring	double 2D spring	colliding blocks
cart with pendulum	dangling stick	rigid body collisions	sumo wrestling game
roller coaster	roller coaster with spring	roller coaster with 2 balls	roller coaster with flight
molecule 2	molecule 3	molecule 4	molecule 5
molecule 6

The next set of simulations are non-interactive movies.

fluid dynamics

reaction-diffusion

How Does It Work?

Explanations of the math and physics are provided in the simulation web pages. Free source code is provided for those wanting to experiment on their own. Here are some additional pages about the underlying math and software.

Help and FAQ How to get the simulations to work, and other answers.
Diff Eq Intro A gentle introduction to differential equations
Classifying Diff Eqs A taxonomy of differential equations
Numerical Solutions How to solve a differential equation without really trying
Runge Kutta Method The best numerical diffeq solver
Math Refresher For those whose trig and calculus are a wee bit rusty.
Links to related math, physics, and simulation websites.
Displaying Math on the Web Notes about how to display mathematics on the web.

Why Physics Simulation?

These physics simulations can be used to:

play around with for fun... try dragging with your mouse, or changing parameter settings
learn about physics and how to set up a model of a physical system
learn about numerical methods for solving equations
learn about differential equations and techniques for solving them
learn computer programming (free source code is available)
enhance your next video game project

Besides being fun to play with, I hope these simulations inspire you to learn about the underlying math and physics.

Simulations are essential in many areas of science and technology. When problems become more complex, it is difficult to use pure math techniques to predict what will happen. Scientists and engineers then create a mathematical model and use numerical techniques to run the model on a computer.

We'd Like To Hear From You

Send comments to Erik Neumann.

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This website was selected as "cool math site of the week" by the Knot a Braid of Links project of the Canadian Mathematics Society.