myPhysicsLab vs PetIBM
myPhysicsLab
myphysicslab.comPetIBM
barbagroup.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | myPhysicsLab | PetIBM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.8 (#4) | 8.0 (#33) |
| Audience | The simulations include explanations of their underlying mathematics and the site describes the project as an online science museum effort. | The project provides end-user installation instructions and separate guidance for developers extending or debugging PetIBM. |
| Authoring tools | Yes | No |
| Delivery mode | hybrid | desktop |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Lesson library | Yes | No |
| License | The software is open source under the Apache 2.0 License, and its source code is available on GitHub. | PetIBM code is under the BSD 3-Clause License. |
| Offline access | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | myPhysicsLab provides interactive, real-time animated physics simulations that users can change by dragging objects and adjusting parameters. | PetIBM implements immersed-boundary methods to solve 2D and 3D incompressible Navier–Stokes equations on stretched Cartesian grids using a projection approach. |
| Support | The author identifies himself as Erik Neumann and provides an email address on the home page; no support plan is listed there. | The project directs bug reports, feature requests, and questions to its GitHub issue tracker and lists email contacts for questions, suggestions, or feedback. |
Plans
In their own words
myPhysicsLab
myPhysicsLab is a free, open-source project with interactive physics simulations and JavaScript classes for building animated models. Simulations run in real time, and users can drag objects or change parameters such as gravity. Its library includes examples such as pendulums, springs, colliding blocks, roller coasters, billiards, and molecular models. Many simulation pages explain the mathematics behind the models. Users can customize simulations with EasyScript or JavaScript in a browser and text editor, then share a setup through a URL that embeds EasyScript. Numeric results can be retrieved through VarsHistory, JavaScript, or collision-data scripts. Downloadable versions can be used offline. The source code is available on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 License. The simulations do not specify measurement units, so values need to be used consistently within each model. Building from source requires TypeScript, esbuild, Perl, and GNU Make. The project began in 2001, and its maker is based in Seattle, Washington.
PetIBM
PetIBM has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.