Rocket Sled - Newton's Laws Simulation

An interactive physics simulation demonstrating Newton's Laws using a rocket sled. Students explore force, friction, air drag, and their effects on motion.

🎯 Features

• Applied Force Control: Left/right thrust buttons with keyboard support (Arrow keys, A/D)
• Friction Toggle: Enable/disable surface friction with visual feedback
• Air Drag Toggle: Enable/disable air resistance with visual feedback
• Real-Time Force Diagram: Dynamic arrows showing Fapp, Fnorm, Fgrav, Ffrict, and Fair
• Speedometer: Visual velocity display with "red zone" indicator
• Canvas LMS Ready: Embed mode support with ?embed=1 parameter

🚀 Quick Start

1. Open index.html in a modern web browser, or
2. Run a local server:

   npx http-server . -p 8080

3. Visit http://localhost:8080

📚 Educational Use

This simulation supports the RocketSledder student handout, covering:

1. Effect of applied force on velocity (with friction off)
2. Motion without horizontal forces (inertia/coasting)
3. Stopping a moving sled (reversing force)
4. Force diagrams for multiple scenarios
5. Resistance force behavior (friction & air drag direction)
6. Inertia demonstration (thrust reversal doesn't instantly reverse direction)

📱 Embed in Canvas LMS

<iframe
    src="https://vladimirlopez.github.io/rocket-sled-simulation/index.html?embed=1"
    width="100%"
    height="700"
    style="border:0;"
    loading="lazy"
    allowfullscreen
></iframe>

🎮 Keyboard Controls

Key	Action
← / A	Apply leftward force
→ / D	Apply rightward force
Space	Turn off thrust
R	Reset simulation

📁 File Structure

Rocket Sled/
├── index.html              # Main HTML file
├── README.md               # This file
├── LICENSE                 # MIT License
├── RocketSledder.pdf       # Student handout
├── .nojekyll               # GitHub Pages configuration
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── deploy.yml      # GitHub Actions deployment
└── src/
    ├── css/
    │   └── app.css         # Styling
    └── js/
        ├── physics.js      # Newton's Laws calculations
        ├── visualization.js # p5.js rendering
        └── main.js         # Application controller

🚀 Deployment

This site is automatically deployed to GitHub Pages via GitHub Actions.

Automatic Deployment

• Trigger: Every push to the main branch
• Workflow: .github/workflows/deploy.yml
• URL: https://vladimirlopez.github.io/rocket-sled-simulation/

Manual Deployment

You can manually trigger a deployment from the GitHub Actions tab by running the "Deploy to GitHub Pages" workflow.

Requirements

• GitHub Pages must be enabled in repository settings
• Pages source should be set to "GitHub Actions"

📄 License

MIT License - Copyright (c) 2025 Vladimir Lopez

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by The Physics Classroom Rocket Sled Interactive
• Visualization powered by p5.js
• Design patterns from the Projectile Motion Simulator