Physics Simulation Project

This repository contains interactive physics simulations built with Python. The simulations visualize fundamental physics concepts through dynamic, real-time graphical demonstrations.

Simulations

1. Orbital Simulation (simulation.py)

An interactive planetary orbit simulation that demonstrates gravitational physics.

Features:

• Interactive placement of planets with a rubber-band launch mechanism
• Realistic orbital mechanics using Newton's laws of gravitation
• Ability to adjust the sun's mass dynamically
• Orbital trajectory prediction
• Bidirectional orbit creation (clockwise or counterclockwise)
• Pan and zoom functionality

Controls:

• Click "Add Particle" button, then click and drag to place a planet
• Scroll wheel to zoom in/out
• Click and drag empty space to pan the view
• Use menu buttons to increase/decrease sun mass

2. Rock Fall Simulation (rockfall.py)

A simulation demonstrating the physics of a rock falling down a well, including sound propagation and air resistance effects.

Features:

• Accurate physics including gravity and air resistance
• Real-time visualization of falling rock and returning sound wave
• Velocity graph showing approach to terminal velocity
• Automatically calculates well depth based on round-trip time of sound

Physics Concepts Demonstrated:

• Terminal velocity due to air resistance
• Sound wave propagation
• Numerical integration of equations of motion

Setup and Installation

1. Clone the repository to your local machine
2. Run the setup script to create a virtual environment and install dependencies:

   bash setup.sh

3. Activate the virtual environment:

   source venv/bin/activate

4. Run a simulation:

   # For orbital simulation (requires pygame)
   pip install pygame  # if not already installed
   python simulation.py
   
   # For rock fall simulation
   python rockfall.py

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• numpy
• matplotlib
• pygame (for orbital simulation)

How Physics is Modeled

Gravitational Force

The orbital simulation uses Newton's law of universal gravitation:

F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2

where G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses, and r is the distance between objects.

Air Resistance

The rock fall simulation models air resistance as:

Fd = 0.5 * ρ * v^2 * Cd * A

where ρ is air density, v is velocity, Cd is the drag coefficient, and A is the cross-sectional area.

Educational Value

These simulations can help students understand:

• Orbital mechanics and Kepler's laws
• The effects of air resistance on falling objects
• Terminal velocity
• Sound propagation
• Numerical integration techniques for physics simulations