Physics experiments & simulations
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Mechanics 16
MechanicsFree Fall and Air Resistance (Terminal Velocity)
Galileo was right — but air changes everything.
MechanicsProjectile Motion: Complementary Launch Angles
30° and 60°: same range.
MechanicsHorizontal Launch vs. Free Fall
Launched or dropped: both hit the floor together.
MechanicsInclined Plane: Friction and Rolling
Who slides, who sticks and who rolls.
MechanicsSimple Pendulum: Period vs. Length
The period depends only on the length.
MechanicsDouble Pendulum: Deterministic Chaos
Two almost identical starts, completely different futures.
MechanicsNewton’s Cradle
Momentum and energy conservation in a chain.
MechanicsElastic and Inelastic Collisions
Momentum is always conserved; kinetic energy, not always.
MechanicsBouncing Balls: Coefficient of Restitution
Each bounce keeps a fraction e² of the height.
MechanicsAtwood Machine
Two masses, one pulley, Newton’s second law.
MechanicsLever and Torque: Rotational Equilibrium
Double the mass at half the distance.
MechanicsMass–Spring Oscillator (Simple Harmonic Motion)
Hooke’s law and simple harmonic motion.
MechanicsSprings in Series and in Parallel
Equivalent spring constant and period.
MechanicsDomino Chain Reaction
Ramp, energy and a chain reaction.
MechanicsRoller Coaster: Conservation of Mechanical Energy
Energy conservation on a track drawn with the pen.
MechanicsMeasuring g with two photogates
A classic lab bench experiment.
Waves & Sound 9
Waves & SoundTwo-Source Interference in a Ripple Tank
Bright fringes of reinforcement and calm nodal lines.
Waves & SoundYoung’s Double-Slit Experiment
Plane waves through two slits.
Waves & SoundDiffraction Grating: Many Slits, Sharper Maxima
Five slits concentrate the light into narrow orders.
Waves & SoundSingle-Slit Diffraction
The wave “bends” as it passes the opening.
Waves & SoundDoppler Effect
The siren that changes pitch.
Waves & SoundShock Wave and Mach Cone (Sonic Boom)
Faster than its own waves.
Waves & SoundStanding Waves on a String
Harmonics, nodes and antinodes.
Waves & SoundHarmonic Series of a Vibrating String
Fundamental, 2nd and 3rd harmonics side by side.
Waves & SoundResonance of a mass–spring oscillator
Same system, three driving frequencies.
Electromagnetism 8
ElectromagnetismElectric Dipole: Field Lines and Equipotentials
Field lines and electric potential.
ElectromagnetismLike Charges and the Electric Quadrupole
Neutral points where the field vanishes.
ElectromagnetismCoulomb’s Law
Opposites attract, likes repel.
ElectromagnetismCharged Particles in a Magnetic Field (Lorentz Force)
Lorentz force and circular motion.
ElectromagnetismMass Spectrometer: Separating Isotopes
Same speed and charge, different masses, different radii.
ElectromagnetismCharge Deflection Between Capacitor Plates
Uniform field: parabolic path.
ElectromagnetismVelocity Selector (Crossed E and B Fields)
Crossed fields let only one speed through.
ElectromagnetismOhm’s law: series and parallel circuits
Same lamps, different brightness.
Optics 8
OpticsLaw of Reflection: Plane and Concave Mirrors
Angle in = angle out, and the focus of a concave mirror.
OpticsConvex Mirror: Virtual Focus and Wide Field of View
Why car side mirrors “show objects closer than they appear”.
OpticsConverging and Diverging Lenses
Parallel rays, real focus and virtual focus.
OpticsKeplerian Telescope: Angular Magnification
Two converging lenses separated by f₁ + f₂.
OpticsDispersion of White Light by a Prism
White light becomes a rainbow (Newton).
OpticsRainbow in a Water Droplet
Refraction, internal reflection and dispersion.
OpticsSnell’s Law and Total Internal Reflection
The critical angle in a glass half-cylinder.
OpticsOptical Fibre: Light Guided by Total Internal Reflection
How the internet travels under the oceans.
Thermodynamics 5
ThermodynamicsIdeal Gas and Kinetic Theory
Pressure as molecules hitting the walls.
ThermodynamicsMolecular Speeds: Helium vs. Xenon (Maxwell–Boltzmann)
Same temperature, very different speeds.
ThermodynamicsIsothermal vs. Adiabatic Compression
Compress two gases: only one heats up.
ThermodynamicsBrownian Motion and Random Walks
Visual proof that molecules exist.
ThermodynamicsHeat Conduction: Copper vs. Iron (Fourier’s Law)
Which metal conducts heat better?
Fluids 5
FluidsBuoyancy: Archimedes’ Principle
Sink or float? It depends on density.
FluidsMetals Floating on Mercury
Iron and lead float; it is all about density.
FluidsImmiscible Liquids: Oil and Water Layers
Objects that stop at the interface.
FluidsHydrostatic Pressure vs. Depth (Stevin’s Law)
Pressure grows with depth.
FluidsWind Tunnel: Flow Around Obstacles and Vortex Shedding
Airflow around a cylinder and a wing-like plate.
Gravitation 4
GravitationPlanetary Orbits and Kepler’s Third Law
Orbits, periods and a moon.
GravitationElliptical Orbits: Kepler’s First and Second Laws
Faster near the star, slower far away.
GravitationOrbital Speed and Escape Velocity
Circle, ellipse or escape — it depends on launch speed.
GravitationBinary Star System and the Centre of Mass
Two stars dancing around their centre of mass.
Modern Physics 5
Modern PhysicsPhotoelectric Effect
Einstein and light made of photons.
Modern PhysicsRadioactive Decay and Half-Life
Randomness that produces a law.
Modern PhysicsComparing Half-Lives of Two Isotopes
Short half-life: intense but brief activity.
Modern PhysicsTime Dilation: The Light Clock (Special Relativity)
Moving clocks run slow.
Modern PhysicsBlackbody radiation and Wien’s law
Why hot stars are blue and cool stars are red.
