How does gravity set the path of a ball, a pendulum and a planet?
A thrown ball and a planet follow the same law; the difference is how far they fall before the ground curves away. This route climbs in scale, and the number to watch is g, the local pull, which shows up in every one of these simulations.
Projectile motion and the pendulum are the two experiments that let you measure g with a ruler and a stopwatch. Weight on other planets changes g, and the orbit simulations show what happens when the ball is thrown fast enough to miss the ground.
- 1 Simulation
Projectile motion simulator: which angle goes farthest?
The simplest case: a ball under constant g. Learn why 45° is best on flat ground and when it is not.
- 2 Simulation
Pendulum period formula and simple pendulum simulator
Gravity again, this time as a clock. The period depends on length and g, not on the weight.
- 3 Simulation
Weight on other planets
Change g and watch every result above change with it, from jump height to fall time.
- 4 Simulation
Orbits and Kepler’s laws
Throw hard enough and the ground curves away. Orbits are the same law with the numbers turned up.
- 5 Simulation
Spin a space station: artificial gravity
Replace gravity with rotation and see which of these results still hold on a spinning station.