Math Is Fun Forum

krassi_holmz

Real Member

Registered: 2005-12-02

Posts: 1,905

Cool physics demonstration program!

Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7eGypGOlOc

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Ricky

Moderator

Registered: 2005-12-04

Posts: 3,791

Re: Cool physics demonstration program!

It's not really all that great, any half decent programmer could make the same program.  The only thing they've done is combine it with a white board with what seems to be a fairly simple gui.  It is a good idea, but it isn't that interesting and it seems like with the level they are at, it won't be at all useful for quite a while.

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"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

mikau

Member

Registered: 2005-08-22

Posts: 1,504

Re: Cool physics demonstration program!

i was just indirectly called a less than half decent programmer

i don't know how they manage to handle the objects noncontinuous motions to make it look so continuous. For instance, he has the cart on a ramp with a little wedge at the bottom, the front wheel hits it and it rolls up the ledge just like you'de expect. What boggles me is the object, i'm assuming, will move inside the wedge when it first makes contact, and the program will have to determine where it would have originally connected with the object and how its motion was effected from there. and another thing you usually can't just say "here's where it collided, move it there, update its speed, direction, rotation, etc. and move the object according to those variables on the next move' the reason is, if a box is tossed on a smooth surface, it hits the ground and slides, if you back it up to where it first contacted the ground, and then move the object according to its updated properties on the next frame, it makes for some really choppy movement and simply doesn't work. also determing how an object collided, exactly where the collision point would have occured, as far as i know, must be extremely sophisticated and time consuming. I don't know how they manage to do it quick enough for things like 3d games, or this physics program.

physics programming is something i certainly have much interest in and hope to get into when i get into more advanced courses.

Last edited by mikau (2007-09-05 07:27:29)

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Ricky

Moderator

Registered: 2005-12-04

Posts: 3,791

Re: Cool physics demonstration program!

i was just indirectly called a less than half decent programmer

What I meant to imply was "half decent professional programmer".

Any recent 3D game such as Half-Life 2 and Bioshock includes physics engines which can do way more complicated things.  Don't tell me you've never played a game with actual physics behind it, Mikau.

I don't know how they manage to do it quick enough for things like 3d games, or this physics program.

The mathematics, the formulas, are worked out before hand, all the program has to do is plug in some numbers.  At least most of the time.

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"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

John E. Franklin

Member

Registered: 2005-08-29

Posts: 3,588

Re: Cool physics demonstration program!

Totally awesome Krass!!  I like how you can lock things with the X, and move them by circling them.  I wonder how the circles in the circles on the cart to make wheels, if it could be confused with other things like a ball inside a sphere that you want to roll around inside.  It's cool to have drawing tools to make stuff, but if you want to do something they haven't thought of, that conflicts with current drawings, then you would have to contact the software developers and ask for new abilities I guess.

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igloo myrtilles fourmis

landof+

Member

Registered: 2007-03-24

Posts: 131

Re: Cool physics demonstration program!

Yes. If I could get it, I would. This program would make life easier, and it can also be a 2 dimensional simulator. Well, It would be better in 3D though.

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mikau

Member

Registered: 2005-08-22

Posts: 1,504

Re: Cool physics demonstration program!

i was just indirectly called a less than half decent programmer

What I meant to imply was "half decent professional programmer".

Any recent 3D game such as Half-Life 2 and Bioshock includes physics engines which can do way more complicated things.  Don't tell me you've never played a game with actual physics behind it, Mikau.

I don't know how they manage to do it quick enough for things like 3d games, or this physics program.

The mathematics, the formulas, are worked out before hand, all the program has to do is plug in some numbers.  At least most of the time.

sure i've played games with physics, i bet you'd be hard pressed not to find a game with at least some basic physics today. Did I give the impression that I hadn't?

yeah, i understand that functions and such are programmed so that the virtually limitless combinations can be handled based on certain parameters, i'm just puzzled by what those parameters are and how they are processed. Particulary with collision detection and treating noncontinuous shapes as continuous.

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A logarithm is just a misspelled algorithm.

landof+

Member

Registered: 2007-03-24

Posts: 131

Re: Cool physics demonstration program!

Well, physics simulators (good and bad) are common on the internet, and free. But the downside is that they only demonstrate a certain set-up or property.

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I shall be on leave until I say so...