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Sandbox Physics

OPEN LABZH / ENNO INSTALL

Change one condition.See the law respond.

Every experiment is an independently runnable physical system. Adjust its initial state, interaction, or boundary conditions, then use equations to explain what you actually observe.

Open the orbit experimentBrowse every experiment
20
runnable experiments
4
physics domains
2
languages
System evolution benchlive model
current systeminverse-square gravity
01 · initial state
r0,v0\mathbf r_0,\mathbf v_0
02 · interaction
F=−GMmr3r\mathbf F=-\frac{GMm}{r^3}\mathbf r
03 · evolution
r¨\ddot{\mathbf r}
04 · observables
orbit · energy · angular momentum

Do not prescribe the answer. Supply a state and a law, then let the system generate its next moment.

FIELD NOTE · 2026 FIELDS MEDAL

One box, three worlds

Yu Deng’s work did not discover that gas particles collide. It proved that Newton’s laws for individual hard spheres can reach Boltzmann’s statistical world over long times.

Understand the story, then run the model
01 / EXPERIMENT DOMAINS

Choose a system first.
Then ask what law it follows.

Motion, waves, fields, matter, and quantum states use different descriptive languages, but every entry point is the same: change a controllable quantity, read the response, and check what is conserved, propagated, or transformed.

01DYNAMICS

How a state evolves through time

Motion & dynamical systems

observe trajectories and invariantsdpdt=F\frac{d\mathbf p}{dt}=\mathbf F

Start from an initial state and let forces and constraints determine the next moment. Read orbits, oscillation, chaos, and many-body motion.

4 experiments
  1. 01

    Chaos · nonlinear dynamics

    Double Pendulum & Chaos

    How long can nearly identical starts share one trajectory?
    key concepts

    nonlinear dynamicssensitivityenergy

    8 min · model depth 2/4Run experiment
  2. 02

    Gravity · central forces

    How Orbits Take Shape

    How can one force law draw three different conic sections?
    key concepts

    inverse-square forceangular momentumconics

    10 min · model depth 2/4Run experiment
  3. 03

    Mechanics · normal modes

    How Coupled Springs Move Together

    Can collective motion be decomposed into clean modes?
    key concepts

    normal modescouplingbeats

    10 min · model depth 3/4Run experiment
  4. 04

    Gravity · chaos

    The Three-Body Dance

    Why does one extra body remove the general orbit formula?
    key concepts

    many-body gravityperiodic solutionschaos

    12 min · model depth 3/4Run experiment
02WAVES

Superposition, propagation, and boundaries

Waves & optics

observe amplitude and phase∂2ψ∂t2=c2∇2ψ\frac{\partial^2\psi}{\partial t^2}=c^2\nabla^2\psi

Change wavelength, phase, apertures, or media and watch local oscillations propagate into interference, diffraction, and resonance.

7 experiments
  1. 01

    Waves · superposition

    When Two Waves Meet

    Why do passing waves leave a stable fringe pattern?
    key concepts

    superpositionphasepath difference

    6 min · model depth 1/4Run experiment
  2. 02

    Fourier series · rotating vectors

    Draw Any Wave with Circles

    How can steady rotations rebuild almost any periodic signal?
    key concepts

    Fourier seriesspectrumharmonics

    12 min · model depth 3/4Run experiment
  3. 03

    Waves · diffraction

    Light after a Narrow Slit

    Why does a narrower opening spread light farther?
    key concepts

    diffractionapertureintensity

    8 min · model depth 2/4Run experiment
  4. 04

    Optics · ray tracing

    How a Lens Redirects Light

    How do three principal rays locate and size an image?
    key concepts

    refractionfocal lengthimaging

    7 min · model depth 1/4Run experiment
  5. 05

    Gravitational waves · laser interferometry

    Listen to Spacetime with Light

    How can a sub-proton length change become a readable signal?
    key concepts

    interferometrygravitational wavesdark port

    15 min · model depth 4/4Run experiment
  6. 06

    Geometrical optics · two-surface refraction

    Two Refractions inside a Thick Lens

    What does the thin-lens model miss when thickness matters?
    key concepts

    Snell lawprincipal planesspherical refraction

    12 min · model depth 3/4Run experiment
03FIELDS + MATTER

How local interactions create global structure

Fields, fluids & matter

observe fields and distributionsF=−∇U\mathbf F=-\nabla U

Begin with local interactions among charges, particles, and fluids, then read field lines, distributions, pressure, and macroscopic response.

6 experiments
  1. 01

    Fields · electrostatics

    Make an Electric Field Visible

    How does the shape of potential predict the next force?
    key concepts

    potentialgradientfield lines

    8 min · model depth 2/4Run experiment
  2. 02

    Thermodynamics · molecular motion

    Billions of Collisions in a Gas

    How do random collisions become stable macroscopic laws?
    key concepts

    kinetic theorydistributionpressure

    7 min · model depth 1/4Run experiment
  3. 03

    Electromagnetism · Lorentz force

    A Charge Bending through Fields

    How can a magnetic field turn motion without changing speed?
    key concepts

    Lorentz forcecross productdrift

    10 min · model depth 3/4Run experiment
  4. 04

    Fluid dynamics · spinning balls

    Why a Spinning Ball Curves

    How does spin rearrange flow and create a sideways force?
    key concepts

    Magnus forcecirculationfluids

    8 min · model depth 2/4Run experiment
  5. 05

    Yu Deng · 2026 Fields Medal · Hilbert’s sixth problem

    From Hard Spheres to Boltzmann

    How can deterministic collisions be compressed into a reliable kinetic equation while controlling recollision correlations?
    key concepts

    Boltzmann equationcollision historiesBoltzmann–Grad limit

    14 min · model depth 4/4Run experiment
  6. 06

    Nuclear physics · stellar evolution

    How Stars Build Elements up to Iron

    Why does fusion release energy only until nuclei approach iron?
    key concepts

    binding energynucleosynthesisreaction chain

    15 min · model depth 4/4Run experiment
04QUANTUM

How amplitudes become measurable probabilities

Quantum & fields

observe probability and measurementiℏ∂ψ∂t=H^ψi\hbar\frac{\partial\psi}{\partial t}=\hat H\psi

Change state, phase, measurement basis, or occupation and watch continuous amplitudes produce discrete, repeatable statistics.

3 experiments
  1. 01

    Quantum Lab 01 · amplitude and phase

    Rotate a Qubit

    Where does phase hide when Z-basis probabilities stay fixed?
    key concepts

    amplitudephasemeasurement basis

    12 min · model depth 4/4Run experiment
  2. 02

    Quantum Lab 02 · path amplitudes

    Can One Particle Interfere?

    How do unpredictable hits accumulate into stable fringes?
    key concepts

    path amplitudescoherenceprobability

    12 min · model depth 4/4Run experiment
  3. 03

    Quantum Lab 03 · entry to field theory

    How a Field Becomes Quantized

    How can a continuous field produce discrete particle excitations?
    key concepts

    field modesquantum oscillatoroccupation

    15 min · model depth 4/4Run experiment

STATE → LAW → EVOLUTION → OBSERVATION

A physical law is not decoration.
It has to move the system.

Animation only displays the result. An experiment begins when you change a condition, shift the prediction, and test whether the equation still explains what follows.

Enter the first system