---
title: "Motion & dynamics — Sandbox Physics"
description: "From a swinging pendulum to an orbit around a black hole."
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language: "en"
page_type: "lab-directory"
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  zh-CN: "https://sandboxphysics.com/zh/topics/mechanics/"
last_modified: "2026-10-24"
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[← All Labs](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/) 01 / 04

Orbits · Oscillations · Chaos

# Motion & dynamics

From a swinging pendulum to an orbit around a black hole.

115 experiments

Start here

## From a falling ball to an orbit

Start by measuring gravity and splitting motion into components. Then add contact forces and collisions, and follow the same laws all the way to an orbit.

6 Labs · about 100 min

1. [01 Observe Free Fall & Measuring Gravity Capture a few drops and fit the camera positions to estimate gravitational acceleration. Then add air damping and watch the fit drift from the truth. 14 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/free-fall/)
2. [02 Compare Projectile Flight Designer Launch in vacuum first, then switch on drag and compare the range and apex with the vacuum reference. 16 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/projectile-flight/)
3. [03 Model Inclined Plane & Friction Change the slope and friction to find when the block can stay at rest, then predict whether it sticks or slides back after it stops. 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/inclined-plane/)
4. [04 Model One-Dimensional Collision Bench Move the restitution from elastic to sticking and check which quantity survives the collision: momentum or kinetic energy. 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/collision-bench/)
5. [05 Model Mass–Spring Oscillator Change the mass, stiffness and release distance, then measure eight periods to find which one actually sets the period. 18 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/mass-spring/)
6. [06 Transfer How Orbits Take Shape Raise the launch speed from circular-orbit speed toward escape speed, and compare the recorded path with the predicted conic section. 10 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/orbit/)

## Browse the collection

Find an experiment

115 experiments

1. [Motion & dynamics Supernova Distance and Cosmic Expansion How do distant supernovae reveal the history of cosmic expansion? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/supernova-distance-expansion/)
2. [Motion & dynamics Inside a Star in Hydrostatic Balance What holds a star up against its own gravity? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/stellar-hydrostatic-structure/)
3. [Motion & dynamics Pulsar Timing and Orbital Decay How can pulse arrival times reveal an orbit that slowly shrinks? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/pulsar-timing-residuals/)
4. [Motion & dynamics Conical Pendulum Why does a wider cone complete a turn sooner? 10 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/conical-pendulum/)
5. [Motion & dynamics Centrifugal Governor Why does the sleeve rise as the spindle speeds up? 10 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/centrifugal-governor/)
6. [Motion & dynamics Pantograph Drawing Copier How can four bars copy a drawing at a different size? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/pantograph-copier/)
7. [Motion & dynamics Scissor Lift & Virtual Work Why is a scissor lift hardest to raise near the ground? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/scissor-lift/)
8. [Motion & dynamics Tusi Couple & Inner Rolling Tracer Can two circles draw an exact straight line? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/inner-rolling-tracer/)
9. [Motion & dynamics Outer Rolling Tracer Why does the pen stop at a cusp while its center moves? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/outer-rolling-tracer/)
10. [Motion & dynamics Cam Motion Designer Can a follower stop while the cam keeps turning? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/cam-motion-designer/)
11. [Motion & dynamics Crank-Shaper Quick Return Why does a steady motor give the ram a fast return? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/crank-shaper-quick-return/)
12. [Motion & dynamics Peaucellier Inversor How can hinged bars draw a straight line without a guide? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/peaucellier-inversor/)
13. [Motion & dynamics Trammel of Archimedes On a trammel of Archimedes, where should the pen sit to draw a circle? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/elliptic-trammel/)
14. [Motion & dynamics Universal Joint Why does a universal joint set at an angle make the output speed up and slow down twice each turn? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/universal-joint/)
15. [Motion & dynamics Oldham Coupling Can two offset shafts turn at exactly the same speed while the middle disc slides? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/oldham-coupling/)
16. [Motion & dynamics Geneva Drive How can a turning input make the output wait? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/geneva-drive/)
17. [Motion & dynamics Scotch Yoke How does a slot turn a circle into a sine wave? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/scotch-yoke/)
18. [Motion & dynamics Four-Bar Linkage Which link lengths let a four-bar linkage's input crank turn all the way around? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/four-bar-linkage/)
19. [Motion & dynamics Slider-Crank Workshop Why does a crank turning at steady speed move the slider unevenly? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/slider-crank/)
20. [Motion & dynamics Cart-Pole Balance Can a cart's motor catch a falling pole and then bring the cart back to its start? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/cart-pole-balance/)
21. [Motion & dynamics Reaction-Wheel Balance How can spinning up a wheel keep a rod upright? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/reaction-wheel-balance/)
22. [Motion & dynamics Rolling Wheel & Geometric Phase If a wheel's heading and roll angle both return to their start, is the wheel back where it began? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/rolling-holonomy/)
23. [Motion & dynamics Chaplygin Sleigh Can a sleigh on a knife edge slow its turning without losing any energy? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/chaplygin-sleigh/)
24. [Motion & dynamics Drum Modes & Strike Position Why does striking a drum in a different spot change its vibration but not its frequencies? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/drum-modes/)
25. [Motion & dynamics Chladni Plate Resonance Does driving a plate at one of its resonant frequencies always make that pattern vibrate? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/chladni-plate/)
26. [Motion & dynamics Tidal Field Explorer Why do tides stretch both the near side and the far side? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/tidal-field/)
27. [Motion & dynamics Tidal Locking & Libration Why must a moon keep spinning to show its planet the same face? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/tidal-locking/)
28. [Motion & dynamics Gear Train & Idler Does an extra gear change speed or direction? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/gear-train-idler/)
29. [Motion & dynamics Planetary Gears & Two Inputs In a planetary gear set, why does holding a different part change how the others turn? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/planetary-gears/)
30. [Motion & dynamics Swinging Spring & Internal Resonance Can a bounce lend its energy to a swing? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/swinging-spring/)
31. [Motion & dynamics Tuned-Mass Damper Design Can a small tuned mass keep a structure from shaking hard at resonance? 28 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/tuned-mass-damper/)
32. [Motion & dynamics Parametric Resonance Playground Can changing stiffness add energy without an applied drive force? 28 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/parametric-resonance/)
33. [Motion & dynamics Satellite Attitude & Gravity Gradient What can a long boom and a momentum wheel each do to keep a satellite pointed? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/satellite-attitude/)
34. [Motion & dynamics Tennis-Racket Theorem Why does a free object spinning about its middle axis keep flipping over? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/tennis-racket/)
35. [Motion & dynamics Gyroscope Precession Bench Why does a spinning wheel precess instead of simply falling? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/gyroscope-precession/)
36. [Motion & dynamics Spinning Top: Precession & Nutation When does a nearly upright spinning top stay upright? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/spinning-top/)
37. [Motion & dynamics Coriolis Turntable Why does a puck sliding freely on a turntable seem to curve when nothing pushes it sideways? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/coriolis-turntable/)
38. [Motion & dynamics Foucault Pendulum & Earth Rotation Why does a Foucault pendulum's length change its swing period but not how fast its swing plane turns? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/foucault-pendulum/)
39. [Motion & dynamics Chaotic Billiards Arena Can geometry alone create chaos? 35 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/chaotic-billiards/)
40. [Motion & dynamics Kicked Rotor & KAM Transition Does keeping phase-space area fixed protect a kicked rotor from chaos? 35 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/kicked-rotor/)
41. [Motion & dynamics Principle of Stationary Action Must the physical path have the smallest action? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/stationary-action/)
42. [Motion & dynamics Hamiltonian Phase Space & Integrators When a computer simulates an orbit, can a small energy error hide a wrong trajectory? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/hamiltonian-integrators/)
43. [Motion & dynamics Binary-Star Mass Laboratory Can motion weigh stars without knowing the viewing angle? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/binary-star-mass/)
44. [Motion & dynamics Gravity-Assist Mission Designer How can a flyby change speed without an engine burn? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/gravity-assist/)
45. [Motion & dynamics Hohmann Transfer Planner Can two burns change an orbit and meet a moving target? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/hohmann-transfer/)
46. [Motion & dynamics Orbital Rendezvous in the Hill Frame Does reaching the target also mean matching its velocity? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/hill-rendezvous/)
47. [Motion & dynamics One-Dimensional Potential Landscape Can you predict a particle's motion just from a graph of its potential energy? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/potential-landscape/)
48. [Motion & dynamics Double-Well, Barrier & Separatrix Lab How does a barrier between two wells change the way a particle moves? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/double-well/)
49. [Motion & dynamics Mechanical Lattice & Dispersion How does a wave packet travel when its crests and its envelope move at different speeds? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/mechanical-lattice/)
50. [Motion & dynamics FPUT Recurrence Laboratory In a chain of masses and springs, can energy spread among the vibration modes and later return? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/fput-recurrence/)
51. [Motion & dynamics Granular Impact Chain Designer For the same impact energy, can grading the bead masses in a chain lower the peak force on the wall? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/granular-impact-chain/)
52. [Motion & dynamics Duffing Oscillator Laboratory Why can the same forcing frequency produce different responses? 28 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/duffing-oscillator/)
53. [Motion & dynamics Finite-Amplitude Pendulum Does a bigger swing change a pendulum's period? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/finite-pendulum/)
54. [Motion & dynamics Bead on a Rotating Hoop Where does a bead on a spinning hoop settle? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/rotating-hoop/)
55. [Motion & dynamics Driven Pendulum & Poincaré Section Does a driven pendulum repeat itself if you check it once every drive cycle? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/driven-pendulum/)
56. [Motion & dynamics Inclined Plane & Friction At zero speed, will the block stick or reverse? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/inclined-plane/)
57. [Motion & dynamics Accelerating Wedge & Sliding Block Can a frictionless normal force transfer energy? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/accelerating-wedge/)
58. [Motion & dynamics Atwood Machine In an Atwood machine, why are the rope tensions on the two sides unequal? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/atwood-machine/)
59. [Motion & dynamics Pulley Network & Mechanical Advantage When a pulley system lets you pull with less force, where does the saved force go? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/pulley-network/)
60. [Motion & dynamics Catenary & Suspension Cable Is every hanging cable a parabola? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/catenary-cable/)
61. [Motion & dynamics Center of Mass & Tipping When an object could tip over any of several edges, which one goes first? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/center-of-mass-tipping/)
62. [Motion & dynamics Lagrange Points & Three-Body Channels If a probe has enough energy to cross from one body's region to the other's, will it actually cross? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/lagrange-channels/)
63. [Motion & dynamics N-Body Star Cluster What happens after a cold cloud collapses? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/star-cluster/)
64. [Motion & dynamics Free-Body Diagram Builder Which forces belong in an object's free-body diagram? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/free-body-builder/)
65. [Motion & dynamics Stacked Blocks & Friction When you push one of two stacked blocks, which contact slips first? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/stacked-blocks/)
66. [Motion & dynamics Spring Launcher Will the ball actually leave the spring? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/spring-launcher/)
67. [Motion & dynamics Bouncing Ball & Restitution Where does the missing height go? 15 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/bouncing-ball/)
68. [Motion & dynamics Galilean Frame Switcher Which quantities of motion change when the observer changes? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/galilean-frames/)
69. [Motion & dynamics Center-of-Momentum Frame Lab Can total momentum vanish while both bodies keep moving? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/centre-momentum/)
70. [Motion & dynamics Elevator Scale & Apparent Weight When does a scale stop measuring your weight? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/elevator-scale/)
71. [Motion & dynamics Terminal Fall & Drag Laws Can two falling masses reveal the drag law? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/terminal-fall/)
72. [Motion & dynamics Motion Graph Studio Can one drawn curve determine the whole motion? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/motion-graph-studio/)
73. [Motion & dynamics Motion Measurement & Numerical Differentiation Do more frames always give better acceleration? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/motion-measurement/)
74. [Motion & dynamics Work–Energy Graph Studio Can the area under a force-position graph predict how an object moves? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/work-energy-studio/)
75. [Motion & dynamics Conservative Forces & Path Dependence Does a force do the same work along any path between the same two points? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/path-dependent-work/)
76. [Motion & dynamics Curvature & Frenet Track Designer How do the bends in a track and the speed along it set the normal acceleration? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/frenet-track-designer/)
77. [Motion & dynamics Polar-Coordinate Kinematics How do you find the velocity and acceleration of a point on an arm that stretches while it turns? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/polar-kinematics/)
78. [Motion & dynamics Crash Pulse & Impulse Engineering If the same impulse stops an object, why does it matter when the force acts? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/crash-pulse/)
79. [Motion & dynamics Braking Distance & Power Limits How do reaction time, tyre grip and brake power each decide how far a car goes before it stops? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/braking-distance/)
80. [Motion & dynamics Gravity Field & Shell Theorem Inside a hollow shell, where does the shell's gravity go? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/gravity-shell-theorem/)
81. [Motion & dynamics Virial Theorem Observatory When does the virial theorem actually hold? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/virial-theorem-observatory/)
82. [Motion & dynamics Roller-Coaster Energy Designer Can a roller-coaster car with enough energy to reach the top of a loop still leave the track? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/coaster-energy-designer/)
83. [Motion & dynamics Cycloid Challenge: Fastest & Isochronous Which curve lets a bead slide down fastest and also makes beads from any height arrive together? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/cycloid-challenge/)
84. [Motion & dynamics Column Buckling & Imperfection Does a loaded column fail first by buckling or by its material yielding? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/column-buckling/)
85. [Motion & dynamics Stress–Strain Material Tester What is left in a material after you load it and then take the load off? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/stress-strain-tester/)
86. [Motion & dynamics Buoyancy & Metacentric Stability Can a floating hull still overturn? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/buoyancy-stability/)
87. [Motion & dynamics Shallow-Water Waves & Dam Break Does a dam-break flood front move at the speed of small water waves? 30 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/shallow-water-dam-break/)
88. [Motion & dynamics Couette–Poiseuille Viscous Flow Can a moving wall reverse a pressure-driven stream? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/couette-poiseuille/)
89. [Motion & dynamics Surface Tension & Capillary Laboratory Can the height a liquid climbs in a thin tube tell surface tension apart from wetting? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/capillary-wetting/)
90. [Motion & dynamics Continuity & Bernoulli Flow Bench Where does the pressure go when liquid flows through a narrow part of a pipe? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/bernoulli-flow/)
91. [Motion & dynamics Siphon, Pressure Limit & Cavitation How high can a primed siphon lift the liquid? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/siphon-pressure/)
92. [Motion & dynamics Hydrostatics & Hydraulic Press Does a hydraulic press give out more work as well as more force? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/hydrostatic-press/)
93. [Motion & dynamics Draining Tank & Torricelli Law Can a draining tank's falling water level show how far the outflow falls short of the ideal? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/draining-tank/)
94. [Motion & dynamics Truss Bridge Force Explorer What is the least material a truss bridge needs to carry a load anywhere on its deck? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/truss-bridge/)
95. [Motion & dynamics Beam Bending Laboratory Can measured bending reveal material stiffness? 25 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/beam-bending/)
96. [Motion & dynamics Balance Beam & Torque Puzzle Can the smallest counterweight balance a loaded beam? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/balance-beam/)
97. [Motion & dynamics Capstan & Belt Friction With a rope wrapped around a drum, how little force can hold a heavy load? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/capstan-friction/)
98. [Motion & dynamics Angular-Momentum Skater Can angular momentum stay fixed while kinetic energy increases? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/angular-momentum-skater/)
99. [Motion & dynamics Moment-of-Inertia Designer Which distances matter to rotational inertia? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/inertia-designer/)
100. [Motion & dynamics Rolling Race Laboratory Does a solid sphere always win a race down a slope? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/rolling-race/)
101. [Motion & dynamics Yo-Yo & Spool Direction Puzzle Does a spool always roll the way you pull its string? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/spool-puzzle/)
102. [Motion & dynamics One-Dimensional Collision Bench What survives an inelastic collision? 20 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/collision-bench/)
103. [Motion & dynamics Two-Dimensional Collision Table What sets the scattering angle in a two-dimensional collision? 22 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/collision-table/)
104. [Motion & dynamics Ballistic Pendulum Lab Can you work out a projectile's speed from how high the pendulum swings? 24 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/ballistic-pendulum/)
105. [Motion & dynamics Double Pendulum & Chaos How long do two nearly identical releases of a double pendulum follow the same path? 8 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/double-pendulum/)
106. [Motion & dynamics How Orbits Take Shape How can one force law draw three different conic sections? 10 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/orbit/)
107. [Motion & dynamics How Coupled Springs Move Together Can one bead's swing grow and fade while the energy in every normal mode stays fixed? 10 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/coupled-oscillators/)
108. [Motion & dynamics Binary Neutron Star Merger What happens when two neutron stars spiral together and merge? 14 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/binary-neutron-star-merger/)
109. [Motion & dynamics How a Black Hole Bends Light Why can one thin accretion disk appear both above and below the black-hole shadow? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/black-hole-light/)
110. [Motion & dynamics The Three-Body Dance Why does one extra body remove the general orbit formula? 12 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/three-body/)
111. [Motion & dynamics Mass–Spring Oscillator What sets the period of a mass bouncing on a spring? 18 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/mass-spring/)
112. [Motion & dynamics Damped Oscillations & Ringdown When can the peaks of a filmed oscillation give you its damping and stiffness? 18 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/damped-ringdown/)
113. [Motion & dynamics Driven Resonance & Phase Lag Do a driven oscillator's largest swing and largest power intake happen at the same frequency? 18 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/driven-resonance/)
114. [Motion & dynamics Free Fall & Measuring Gravity Can a noisy camera and a coarse photogate timer measure gravity accurately? 14 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/free-fall/)
115. [Motion & dynamics Projectile Flight Designer How do you aim a launch to hit a target through drag and crosswind? 16 min](https://sandboxphysics.com/labs/projectile-flight/)

Keep exploring

[Waves & optics](https://sandboxphysics.com/topics/waves-and-optics/) [Fields & matter](https://sandboxphysics.com/topics/fields-and-matter/) [Quantum & fields](https://sandboxphysics.com/topics/quantum/)