Gravity Force Lab

Considered one of the four fundamental forces of the Universe (along with the electromagnetic force, the strong interaction and the weak interaction), gravity still remains a mystery; even though we see it in action every time we drop something on the ground or when astronomical objects move, scientists still don’t understand it completely.

Nevertheless, the force is observable and measurable, and still represents one of the most important lessons in any physics class. In order to understand some aspects of gravity, both teachers and students could find an application like Gravity Force Lab useful.

Created in Java, Gravity Force Lab features an interface where two wooden mannequins pull at two differently colored balls. The user may move the two balls in one dimension (horizontally), but also increase their respective mass, from 0.01 to 100 kg.

The forces that the objects exert on one another is instantly displayed, while the user can also move a virtual ruler to measure the distance between the centers of the two objects. Basically, this all that the application does.

Remember that Gravity Force Lab is designed first and foremost as a cute little simulation that can make a physics class less boring. An apt teacher can encourage the students to experiment with the two objects, and draw plenty of interesting conclusions, while explaining a fundamental lesson about the Universe.

With that in mind, it’s not difficult to conclude that this isn’t the most imaginative applications created by PhET Interactive Simulations (from the University of Colorado). Their animations are usually crude, but rarely uninteresting, which unfortunately seems to be the case here. Even if Gravity Force Lab is an older application, gravity is a topic that can certainly inspire more ideas than two mannequins pulling at two balls.

Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that Gravity Force Lab can’t be used efficiently as an educational app in a physics class.