Fun with physics

[tomek]

A thread derived from off-topic conversation in Gravitational force thread; intended for discussion of hardware and software you can use to have fun with physics. I think it still belongs here rather than in general off-topic, though moderators can of course disagree.

 

[pete.dakota]

A thread derived from off-topic conversation in Gravitational force thread; intended for discussion of hardware and software you can use to have fun with physics. I think it still belongs here rather than in general off-topic, though moderators can of course disagree.

I can't think why it would be moved to off-topic. Maybe as it is discussing applets and programs and not actual space physics. But, oh well.

Back on M6 somebody posted about a simple gravity/solar system simulator in the form of a web-based applet. It was very addictive. You could edit and create your own planets and suns etc and then set the scenario going and watch the result. It was really cool. But I haven't been able to find it since.

Any ideas?

 

[n0mad23]

Haven't found your simulator yet, pete.dakota, but I'm not done trying. Meanwhile here are a couple entertaining and informative applets:

Rocket Modeler II 2.1f beta from NASA
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktsim.html


Interactive Nozzle Simulator, also from NASA
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/ienzl.html

Finally, Rotating Space Station Gravitational Physics Simulation (AKA - Coriolis Acceleration)
http://www.wolfkeeper.plus.com/coriolis/

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

Back on M6 somebody posted about a simple gravity/solar system simulator in the form of a web-based applet. It was very addictive.

This is the link to the 'satellites applet', but you are limited to creating satelltes in the earth/moon system.
www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/applets/satellites.html

This applet (and Orbiter..) inspired me to make my own gravity simulator some time ago in 2004. Recently, I continued this project. You may keep an eye on my blog about the simulator, it could be possible that I release an updated version within some weeks.


But I'll get back to the original discussion I had with Tomek, the talk about Interactive Physics/Working Model 2D simulator. In interactive physics/WM, you can change the gravity setting to 'planetary', so that's what you have to enable to get all the gravity fun. I looked on some backup discs back from 2003, and found some IP2000 files I created, I'll give a brief history...

It all started with creating 'planets' like this with little cars on it. When driving around the planet faster, objects carried by the car will start to fly off. The cube here has controlable (on/off) forces on each side, so I could control the orbit.

Then, I replaced the 'cars', by 'rockets' (just rectangles actually), and trying to use some controlable forces to get it into an orbit around the sphere. Those simple rockets quickly advanced to capsules like this.
(usually in a simple vertical or no-gravity environment)
After this, the capsule design was evolving a little.

... Untill I added more advanced rotational/linear RCS control, and automatic 'kill-rot' forces on the capsules, like these.

Back then, it just fun to be able to control al those joints/motors/forces/etc in the capsule, and let the human float around..
I actually stopped evolving them because the computers where too slow, the simulations with the capsules ran really slow at some point. Also I struggled with the limitations like the simple air resistance model (unrealistic).
Of course, I found Orbiter too at some point (I think it was in 2002 or 3?), so I continued using that instead. But some time ago, I discovered Working Model 2D and Visual nastran 3D, so I sometimes use with these physics simulators again

Here's another Zero-G vehicle, and another capsule with some humans..


regards,
mcduck

 

[MJR]

Haven't found your simulator yet, pete.dakota, but I'm not done trying. Meanwhile here are a couple entertaining and informative applets:

Rocket Modeler II 2.1f beta from NASA
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktsim.html


Interactive Nozzle Simulator, also from NASA
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/ienzl.html

Finally, Rotating Space Station Gravitational Physics Simulation (AKA - Coriolis Acceleration)
http://www.wolfkeeper.plus.com/coriolis/

On the rocket modeler, what is the highest you got?

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

That Rocket Modeler link is nice indeed! (I just got one up to 513m/1685ft, but with clustered engines...)
I think I can make use of this applet as I still have a lot of unused C6-3 and also booster modelrocket engines.. Thinking about making a multistage just for the fun. Maybe I could add a payload like an altitude logger.

regards,
mcduck

 

[n0mad23]

Even with billions of garbage web pages, the internet's become a repository of fabulous things.

I'm really impressed with how java has evolved even in the last 3 years, and how many excellent tools are now available for the price of searching for them.

Although I've posted this link before, it fits the bill for what we're doing here. This is done by a NASA employee whose been incredibly helpful and patient with my questions:

http://www.astrojava.com/


In terms of physics, I find I'm a much more visual learner than simply conceptual. In other words, I can make the math work on paper, but the bridge to my visualizations is more challenging. These java tools make it so much easier!

And when my 'thought experiments' are validated by said tools, the sense of satisfaction is grand.

McDuck - Outstanding Interactive Physics/Working Model 2D simulator post above. I imagine this led to some real satisfaction as well, aye?

 

[tomek]

Back then, it just fun to be able to control al those joints/motors/forces/etc in the capsule, and let the human float around..

Lol, you must have been an inquisitor in your previous life And what with that guy being hung on two ropes under the top of the capsule? Cruel :lol:

I wrote a gravity simulator a long time ago, albeit it didn't look anywhere as pretty as yours. In fact, it had no graphics at all, although it could produce a bitmap with bodies' trajectories. I called it "spaghetti generator", as it was spaghetti-looking code that generated spaghetti-looking graphs. IP/WS got me into writing a 3D physics engine of my own, but as of today I'm still looking for ways to model jointed rotations both accurately and efficiently - that can be complicated enough even in 2D, and in 3D even a single-body rotations get quite messy...

Speaking of gravity simulators - for those who haven't seen it yet, Starways by Alessandro Ghignola (the same guy who also wrote Noctis, among bunch of other things). Starways is basically a galaxy collision simulator, you put two to four galaxies on a collision course and watch stars fly in every direction. It does give you quite a sense of scale though. Or at least it gave me quite a sense of scale when I tried it...

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

And what with that guy being hung on two ropes under the top of the capsule? Cruel :lol:

Well, it's an effective and easy way to separate 2 crewmembers during the launch phase in a 2D world.. Why make a complex seat when you can simply hang them on the roof! They should try this in the Soyuz capsules too, it works great

 

[Quick_Nick]

I find it odd that no one posted Phun. http://www.phun.at/ Either they didn't or I didn't read the posts closely enough.

 

[n0mad23]

I can't think why it would be moved to off-topic. Maybe as it is discussing applets and programs and not actual space physics. But, oh well.

Back on M6 somebody posted about a simple gravity/solar system simulator in the form of a web-based applet. It was very addictive. You could edit and create your own planets and suns etc and then set the scenario going and watch the result. It was really cool. But I haven't been able to find it since.

Any ideas?

Was this the one you were thinking of?

http://www.openuniverse.org/index.php?pag=portada

 

[n0mad23]

I find it odd that no one posted Phun. http://www.phun.at/ Either they didn't or I didn't read the posts closely enough.

Phun is GREAT! I'm putting on my kids' computer as soon as we finish supper.

 

[pete.dakota]

Was this the one you were thinking of?

http://www.openuniverse.org/index.php?pag=portada

No it's not. The one I was thinking of was a lot more simple. No planet textures as such. Just different coloured balls flying around the place.

 

[thomasantony]

I find it odd that no one posted Phun. http://www.phun.at/ Either they didn't or I didn't read the posts closely enough.

Hey. That one is really cool!! How come I have never come across it on the interwebs??

~
Thomas

 

[Quick_Nick]

Hey. That one is really cool!! How come I have never come across it on the interwebs??

~
Thomas

I wondered the same thing. I found it in a thread on the M6 forums.

 

[silent_protagonist]

No it's not. The one I was thinking of was a lot more simple. No planet textures as such. Just different coloured balls flying around the place.

How 'bout this one:
http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/my-solar-system/my-solar-system.swf

 

[Lunar Pilot]

Rocket Modeler

Just to add mine, I just got a rocket to go 2221 feet on Earth, that's the important point, but if you ask me how high I got on the Moon, well, you have to ask.

 

[pete.dakota]

How 'bout this one:
http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/my-solar-system/my-solar-system.swf

That's it! THANKS!

 

[Quick_Nick]

New Earth(gravity) sims from the creator of the popular Powder Game:
http://dan-ball.jp/en/