Interactive physics simulations
37 free simulations covering AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, and AP Physics C: Mechanics and E&M. Drag, change values and watch what happens. Everything runs in the browser on a laptop, tablet or phone, with nothing to install and no sign-up.
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Vectors: Add, Dot & Cross
Drag two vectors and see their components, sum, dot product (projection) and cross product (area and right-hand rule) live.
Motion Graphs
Set x₀, v₀ and a or drive the car yourself, and watch x–t, v–t and a–t graphs form, with slope and area tools.
Projectile Motion Lab
Launch at any speed, angle and height. Compare paths, and watch vₓ stay constant while vy changes.
Forces on an Incline
A live free-body diagram on a ramp with static and kinetic friction, an applied push and ΣF = ma.
Pulleys, Connected Objects & Elevators
Atwood machines, a block on a table pulled by a hanging mass, and the elevator scale, with live free-body diagrams.
Circular Motion
Velocity and centripetal acceleration vectors, a꜀ = v²/r, and what happens when you cut the string.
Vertical Circles & Curves
Tension around a vertical loop (and when the string goes slack), friction on a flat curve, and the design speed of a banked curve.
Energy Skate Track
Kinetic, potential and thermal energy trade places in live bars as a skater rides a track.
Collisions & Momentum
Elastic, inelastic and sticky collisions with momentum and KE bars and the centre-of-mass motion.
Impulse & the Egg Drop
Drop an egg on concrete, grass or a pillow: the same impulse, very different force–time graphs.
Torque & Balance
Balance masses on a beam, compare torques, then release it to see α = Στ / I.
Angular Momentum
The spinning skater: pull the arms in, I drops, ω rises, and L stays constant.
Rolling Race
Hoop vs disk vs sphere down a ramp, and how rotational inertia splits the kinetic energy.
Simple Harmonic Motion
Mass–spring and pendulum with x–t graphs, energy bars, period formulas and phase constant.
Fluids Lab
Float and sink blocks, probe pressure at depth, and watch Bernoulli and continuity in a narrowing pipe.
Drag & Terminal Velocity
Linear and quadratic drag: solve m dv/dt = mg − Fdrag and watch v approach vT.
Potential Energy Curves
Read U(x): force from the slope, turning points, forbidden regions, stable and unstable equilibria.
Orbits & Kepler's Laws
Circular, elliptical and escape orbits with equal-area wedges, period and escape speed.
Gas Laws & PV Diagrams
Isothermal, isobaric, isochoric and adiabatic processes with W, Q and ΔU on a live PV diagram.
Charging Methods
Friction, conduction and induction, with every electron animated. Includes the "remove the rod first" mistake.
Coulomb's Law & Superposition
The inverse-square law with a live F–r graph, then net force from several charges, added tip to tail.
Electric Field Explorer
Field lines, equipotentials and vectors for any charges, with a probe that reads E and V anywhere.
Gauss's Law Explorer
Flux through a Gaussian surface, then E(r) for spheres, shells and conductors using symmetry.
Continuous Charge Distributions
Chop a rod or ring into N pieces, add every dE vector, and watch the sum converge to the exact integral.
Parallel-Plate Capacitor
Area, separation, voltage and dielectrics. Compare a capacitor connected to a battery with an isolated one.
Resistor Network Simplifier
Reduce series and parallel combinations step by step, then find every current and voltage.
Kirchhoff's Rules: Two Loops
A two-battery, two-loop circuit with live branch currents, loop equations, and a battery that gets charged backwards.
RC Circuits
Charge and discharge a capacitor with live V(t) and I(t) graphs and the time constant τ = RC.
Magnetic Force
Charged particles circling in B, a velocity selector, and the force on a current-carrying wire.
Magnetic Fields of Currents
Fields around wires with a compass probe, forces between wires, and Ampère's law for a solenoid.
Electromagnetic Induction
Faraday and Lenz: a loop through a field, a rod on rails, and an LR circuit, with flux and emf graphs.
LC Oscillations
Energy sloshing between a capacitor and an inductor at ω = 1/√(LC), with q(t), I(t), energy bars and optional damping.
Ray Diagram Lab
Lenses and mirrors: drag the object and watch the principal rays, the image and the magnification.
Waves & Sound
v = fλ on transverse and longitudinal waves, standing waves on strings, and open and closed pipes.
Interference & Double Slit
Two-source ripple interference and Young's double slit, with fringe spacing Δy = λL/d.
Photoelectric Effect
Photons, work function, threshold frequency and stopping voltage, and why intensity isn't enough.
Energy Levels & Spectra
Hydrogen transitions with emitted and absorbed photons that build up the Lyman, Balmer and Paschen series.
Before you drag anything, say what you expect to happen. The simulation is there to check you.
Move one charge or change one value at a time, and watch which readouts respond.
Use the "Key idea" box in each simulation to connect what you see to the equation.