SACE Stage 2 Physics

Interactive Simulation Menu

A growing set of classroom-ready HTML models for Stage 2 Physics, organised by topic and subtopic so students and teachers can jump straight to the right idea.

Topic 1

Motion and Relativity

1.1 Projectile Motion
Trajectory ExplorerAdjust launch speed, angle and height to shape a projectile's flight path. Independence of Velocity ComponentsCompare the horizontal and vertical motion of a projectile side by side. Effect of Air ResistanceAdd drag to a projectile and see how the trajectory changes. Terminal VelocityDrop an object through air and watch speed settle as drag grows. GorillasClassic artillery game — set angle and power to land a banana on target.

1.2 Forces and Momentum
Impulse & ΔpApply a force for a chosen time and track the change in momentum. 2D CollisionsSet up two pucks colliding at an angle and check momentum conservation. 2D ExplosionsSplit a stationary object into fragments and analyse the resulting momenta. PropulsionEject mass from a craft and observe the recoil that drives it forward. CrokinoleFlick discs on a board — a playful sandbox for 2D elastic collisions.

1.3 Circular Motion and Gravitation
Uniform Circular MotionSpin an object in a circle and inspect its velocity and centripetal force. Banked CurvesAdjust bank angle, speed and friction for a car rounding a curve. Newtonian GravitationVary masses and separation to explore the inverse-square gravitational force. SatellitesLaunch satellites at different altitudes and speeds to see the orbits that result. Kepler's LawsExplore orbital shape, period and swept areas for planets around a star.

1.4 Relativity
Galilean RelativitySwitch between reference frames to see how classical velocities add. Relativity of SimultaneityTrigger events from different frames and compare when each observer sees them. Length Contraction & Time DilationDial up the speed of a moving object and watch its clocks and rulers. Relativistic MomentumGraph momentum against speed as particles approach the speed of light. Muon Decay ExperimentCount cosmic-ray muons arriving at sea level and compare to classical predictions.

Topic 2

Electricity and Magnetism

2.1 Electric Fields
Coulomb's Law ExplorerVary charge and separation to measure the force between two point charges. Superposition of ForcesPlace multiple charges and read off the net force on a chosen test charge. Electric Field VisualiserArrange charges and see the resulting field lines and vector map. Field Strength vs DistancePlot how E falls off with distance from a point charge or charged plate. Hollow ConductorsProbe the field inside and outside charged conductors of different shapes.

2.2 Charged Particles in Electric Fields
Particle DeflectionFire charged particles between parallel plates and steer them with the field. Millikan's Oil DropBalance tiny charged droplets between gravity and an adjustable electric field.

2.3 Magnetic Fields
Straight Conductor & Right-Hand RuleOrbit a 3D wire to see the circular field loops and probe the field at any point. Dipoles & SolenoidsCompare the field around a bar magnet with that of a current-carrying solenoid.

2.4 Charged Particles in Magnetic Fields
Force on a Current-Carrying ConductorTilt a wire in a uniform field and watch F = BIℓ sin θ vanish at parallel. Two Parallel WiresSuperpose the fields of two long wires; parallel currents attract, antiparallel repel. Charged Particle in a Uniform B FieldFire a charge into a uniform field and watch it loop with radius r = mv / |q|B. CyclotronTune the oscillator to f = qB/2πm and accelerate the particle to the dee rim. Thomson's e/m DeterminationCross E and B fields in a Teltron tube; record null voltages to find v, then deflect onto the plate edge to find m. Magnetism from RelativitySwitch frames to see the magnetic force on a charge become an electric force from length contraction.

2.5 Induction
Magnetic Flux ExplorerTilt and resize a loop in a uniform field to watch Φ = BA cos θ rise and fall. Faraday & LenzSlide a bar magnet through a coil; watch Φ, ε and the galvanometer respond. AC GeneratorSpin an N-turn coil in a uniform field and trace ε = NBAω sin ωt on a scope. TransformerSet the turns on linked input and output coils to see V_output / V_input = N_output / N_input. Eddy Currents & Magnetic BrakingDrop a plate through a magnet's gap; eddy currents brake it. Slot the plate, or scan a coin with a metal detector.

Topic 3

Light and Atoms

3.1 Wave Behaviour of Light
Two-Source InterferenceTwo coherent point sources radiate overlapping wavefronts; trace antinodal and nodal lines from path difference p. Double SlitPlane wave hits two slits; Huygens secondary waves overlap on the way to the screen. Derivation-triangle overlay for d sin θ = mλ. Bullets and electrons modes for Feynman's three-way comparison. Diffraction GratingN evenly-spaced slits; principal maxima sharpen as N grows. Switch to white light and watch each order fan into a spectrum. PolarisationSend unpolarised light through up to three rotatable polarisers; Malus's Law gives the transmitted intensity at each axis.

3.2 Wave-Particle Duality
Double Slit: Bullets, Waves, ElectronsFeynman's three-way comparison — same geometry, three regimes. Toggle a which-path detector to collapse the electron pattern. Photoelectric EffectSimulated PE apparatus: lamp, evacuated tube, ammeter. Pick a cathode metal, dial λ and the plate voltage, watch photons and photoelectrons, read the stopping voltage off the meter. Electron DiffractionAccelerate electrons through V into a polycrystalline target; single electrons flash on the phosphor and rings appear. Identify two unknown samples from their ring spacings. BremsstrahlungA single electron approaches a single target atom; the nucleus deflects it and an x-ray is emitted. Each path produces a different photon energy — the spectrometer strip sorts them.

3.3 Structure of the Atom
Black Body RadiationDrag the temperature slider from a dim stove element to a blue-white star and watch the colour and spectral peak shift. Toggle the classical Rayleigh–Jeans prediction to see the Ultraviolet Catastrophe — the divergence that forced Planck to quantise energy. X-Ray TubeAccelerate electrons into a metal target and inspect the x-ray spectrum produced. Rutherford ScatteringFire α particles at a single atom; compare what the Thomson plum-pudding and Rutherford nuclear models predict for the trajectories and scattering-angle distribution. Bohr Model of HydrogenDrag the electron up the energy-level diagram to excite the atom; watch it cascade back down. Emission and absorption modes share an accumulating spectrum strip. Fluorescence & PhosphorescenceFire a UV photon at a molecule and watch it re-emit a lower-energy visible photon. Fluorescence is near-instant; phosphorescence traps the electron in a metastable state first, then emits after a tunable delay. Fraunhofer LinesRead the dark absorption lines in the Sun's spectrum. Toggle candidate elements to overlay their known emission patterns and identify which ones are present in the photosphere. Atomic SpectraReference tool: select any element and view its emission and absorption spectra side by side. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan, or jump to a region of interest with the preset buttons. HeNe LaserWatch how population inversion and stimulated emission combine to produce a coherent beam. Cascade mode shows the photon avalanche; Full Sim traces the discharge, resonant He–Ne energy transfer, and photon bouncing between mirrors.

3.4 Standard Model
Four Fundamental ForcesVirtual boson exchange in EM, Weak, Strong, and Gravity. Step through the Feynman diagram, then click any vertex to inspect what is conserved there. Decay CheckerBuild a particle decay and check it against charge, baryon number, lepton number, and energy conservation. Fix-it mode loads a pre-built reaction with one wrong particle; Free build lets you assemble any reaction from scratch.