Numerical Simulation

Numerical simulation helps us to explore and understand complex phenomenons in nature, psychology, science and engineering. A numerical simulation is a program that computes the evolution of a physical system in space and time, for example:

• the movement of stars and galaxies in the universe since the big bang,
• the propagation of a wood fire over time,
• the chemical reaction between molecules,
• the dragging progress of cars in a traffic jam.

During this hackathon you will learn how to program your first numerical simulation - your very own bouncy ball pit!

Let’s code a bouncy ball pit!

1. How to drop a ball
2. How to drop a ball for real
3. How to bounce a ball
4. How to bounce a whole lot of balls
5. Getting on

Let’s get real with some more advanced physics:

1. How to derive the equations of motion?
2. How to “lose” energy?
3. How about different masses?
4. How wrong is our simulation?
5. Beyond these ideas there’s many more physical effects you could take into account in your simulation, e.g. spin of the ball, friction. You can have a look here for more ideas.

Acknowledgement

This is a slightly modified hackathon first prepared by Anne Reinarz, Chris Marcotte, and Laura Morgenstern.

Support

If you get stuck at any point feel free to email:

• Chung