Simple scripts for middle/high-school students to simulate the Solar System.
Projectiles plots the result for a ball either dropped vertically or thrown from a height. This introduces the student to equations of motion in a uniform gravitational field. The student can experiment with different launch angles to find the optimum angle for maximum distance. This script can be used in conjunction with pracitcal experiments, such as shooting a nerf gun out of a window.
Orbits introduces the student to circular velocity and gravitional forces in 2 dimensions. The student can discover the circular velocity equation by experimenting with different initial velocities to find the one that creates a stable orbit.
Solar System creates a model for the planets orbiting the Sun. Planets can be easily added in a dictionary data structure. Circular velocities are automatically calculated and elliptical orbits can be acheived by slowing down the inital veolocity. The student can add their own bodies into the system, for example, a highly elliptical comet. They can also experiement with increasing the mass of a planet and seeing the effect it has on the Sun's motion.
