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Web life: Phun

02 Jun 2009

So what is the site about?

Phun is a free, downloadable physics-simulation programme that bills itself as a “2D physics sandbox”. The programme’s limitless virtual space allows users to construct simple (and not-so-simple) machines out of levers, gears, motors and as many different shapes as they care to draw, then set them in motion. The results can be educational, bizarre or downright hilarious, depending on what you choose to do, but thanks to a sophisticated simulation engine, they will always be physically realistic — unless you decide to turn off friction and gravity.

Okay, so what can you do with it?
The possibilities are almost endless, but the programme provides a few sample “phunlets” to get you started. With the trebuchet, for example, you can try swapping the central hinge for a motor, changing the counterweight’s mass (or filling it with water) and reducing friction on the sling. Clicking on most objects brings up a list of physical properties, including mass, area, moment of inertia, motor speed and kinetic energy. The “tracer” feature makes it easier to follow the paths of moving objects — useful if you accidentally fill your trebuchet projectile with helium — and the “hand” tool allows you to pick up your creations and fling them about (try it with the “ragdoll” phunlet). But this is the tip of the iceberg: the site’s designers have deliberately left it “open for creativity and exploration”, and the best way to find out more is simply to play with it for an hour or two.

Who created it, and who is it aimed at?
Phun began life as Emil Ernerfeldt’s MSc project at Sweden’s Umeå University. His supervisor, Kenneth Bodin, wanted a programme to use as a teaching tool at the Umevatoriet, a local science centre. However, the project quickly grew beyond its original scope, and now both Ernerfeldt and Bodin work for Algoryx, an interactive physics-software company Bodin founded in 2007 with colleagues from Umeå. Since then, Algoryx has developed a commercial version of Phun called Algodoo, which offers some nifty extra features like light beams and graphing tools. Lecture material, tutorials and a dedicated website for educators and learners are also in the works, Bodin told Physics World. With their bright, colourful interfaces and easy-to-understand controls, both Algodoo and its free cousin Phun were clearly designed with young people in mind, but those who left school years ago will still find plenty of interest.

Anything in particular I should look out for?
Phun has spawned a thriving online community of users who post tips on the main Phun site and videos of their creations on YouTube. If you want more Phun than catapults or cars can offer, these videos are full of ideas, and some are little short of amazing. Two videos by Probber show off an elaborate water-based Heath Robinson contraption, while in JDKmedeng’s “Mars Mission”, a four-stage rocket transports a rover vehicle onto a simulated red planet (where the force of gravity is, of course, reduced). For sheer silliness, it is hard to beat “Duckotron”, which stars a singing mechanical duck and an accident-prone human. However, it is Phunico’s multi-geared sushi-making machine that really takes the prize. The timing of each stage of the process (rice, nori wrap, salmon eggs) is astonishingly fine, and the explanation at the end makes it clear just how much work went into this particular bit of Phun.

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