Summer 2010:  Programming  Physics  SImulations  in  python

The program videos below showcase a variety of phenomena in physics that were simulated in Python using the Runga Kutta Method of differential equation approximation.  Note that the videos start about 20 seconds in.

One sun with N planets in orbit

Chaotic effects in the restricted three body problem.  Both planets start at roughly the same initial location, but quickly diverge due to the sensitivity to initial conditions.

In the next program, the user can place a bead anywhere on the curve.  The bead then moves under the effect of gravity and friction while remaining constrained to the curve.