Interactive Physics simulations

Interactive Physics Simulations

Explore physics through interactive simulations. Change variables, test ideas and see how physical systems behave in real time.

These simulations are designed to support physics teaching, revision and help you develop a deeper understanding of the concepts behind the equations. Use them to investigate relationships, make predictions and check what happens when you change the conditions. These simulations are simplified on purpose. Friction, air resistance and relativistic effects are usually ignored so that the underlying key physics concepts can be understood/observed.

Choose a simulation

Conservation of Momentum – Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
Experiment with masses and velocities to investigate momentum before and after different types of collisions.

Simple Harmonic Motion
Explore oscillations and see how the variables involved in simple harmonic motion change over time.

Circular Motion and Simple Harmonic Motion
See how the shadow of an object moving in a circle traces out simple harmonic motion.

Circular Motion: Humpback Bridge
Interactive simulation of a car crossing a humpback bridge. Watch the contact force fall as speed rises, and find the critical speed where N = 0 and v = √(gr).

Circular Motion: Vertical Loop
Release an object into a vertical loop and find the minimum height needed to get all the way round.

Electric and Magnetic Fields
Explore electric and magnetic fields and investigate how charged particles and fields interact.

Velocity Selector and Mass Spectrometer
Select ions by speed, then separate isotopes by mass in a magnetic field.

Cyclotron
Accelerate particles in a spiral using a magnetic field and an alternating voltage, and investigate why every orbit takes exactly the same time.

Radioactive Decay: Half-life
Watch individual nuclei decay at random and measure the half-life from the graph, for four real isotopes.

Stationary Waves: String Fixed at Both Ends
See how two waves travelling in opposite directions superpose to form a stationary wave, and find the harmonics of a string.

Stationary Waves: Pipe Closed at One End
Find the harmonics of a pipe closed at one end and open at the other, and observe why only odd harmonics are formed.

Stationary Waves: Pipe Open at Both Ends
Find the harmonics of a pipe open at both ends, and see how a whole number of half wavelengths fits between the openings.

Motion Graphs: Ball Thrown and Bouncing
Watch the displacement, velocity and acceleration graphs generate in real time as a ball is thrown up or dropped and bounces. Consider with and without air resistance effects.

Projectile Motion: Clearing a Target
Find whether a projectile clears a bar or reaches a raised ledge, by splitting the launch velocity into horizontal and vertical components.

More interactive physics simulations are coming soon.

Interactive Physics simulations

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