About the Physics Lab
The Physics Lab is a collection of interactive simulators that let you experiment with real physics in your browser. Instead of reading about free fall, oscillation or projectile motion, you set the conditions, press play and watch accurate, physics-based motion unfold. Each simulator lets you run several objects at once so you can compare how mass, angle, gravity or spring stiffness change the outcome. It is a hands-on way to build intuition for the equations behind motion, ideal for students, teachers and anyone curious about how the physical world behaves.
How to use it
- Choose a simulator: free fall, spring-mass oscillation or projectile motion.
- Adjust parameters such as height, angle, mass, gravity or spring constant.
- Press play to watch the simulation run with real-time physics.
- Run several objects side by side to compare how the variables affect motion.
The science behind it
Each simulator solves the actual equations of motion rather than faking the animation. Free fall and projectile motion follow Newton's laws under constant gravity, while the spring-mass system obeys Hooke's law, producing simple harmonic motion. The simulations advance in tiny time steps using numerical integration, so trajectories, velocities and oscillation periods match what you would measure in a real experiment. Because the physics is genuine, you can verify textbook formulas, such as the parabolic path of a projectile or the period of a spring, by watching them play out.
Frequently asked questions
Which simulators are available?
There are simulators for free fall, spring-mass oscillation and projectile motion, each with adjustable parameters.
Is the physics realistic?
Yes. The simulators solve the real equations of motion with numerical integration, so the behavior matches genuine experiments.
Can I compare multiple objects?
Yes. Each simulator can run several objects at once, making it easy to see how changing one variable changes the result.
Is this useful for learning physics?
Very. Seeing equations come to life builds intuition and helps connect formulas to real, observable motion.