Half-Atwood Machine Discovery Simulation

A no-build browser simulation for on-level physics classes studying unbalanced forces.

Students can:

• vary table mass and hanging mass,
• toggle friction on/off and change coefficient mu,
• run motion with custom initial velocity,
• view acceleration, tension, friction, and net force live,
• estimate time-to-distance from rest, and
• record comparison trials for class discussion.

The interface is styled in The Thinking Experiment dark/gold visual system and includes guided discovery prompts aligned to Unit 6 packet/exam patterns.

Run locally

python3 -m http.server 8000

Open http://localhost:8000.

Tests

npm test

Main files

• index.html - simulation UI and guided tabs
• styles.css - dark gold design system and responsive layout
• src/halfAtwoodApp.js - UI state, animation loop, canvas rendering, table records
• src/halfAtwoodPhysics.js - frictionless/friction force and motion helpers
• tests/halfAtwoodPhysics.test.js - equation and friction behavior checks