Two interactive Python projects I built to explore physics visually: reflection in mirrors and vector addition. Both use Tkinter, so you can run them as desktop applications without a browser or online service.
| Project | What it explores | Interface |
|---|---|---|
| Mirror and Ray Diagram Simulator | Concave and plane mirrors, reflected rays, image formation | Desktop GUI |
| Vector Addition Visualizer | Vector components, resultant magnitude, and direction | Desktop GUI |
Install Python 3 with Tkinter available, then download or clone this repository. Run either program from the folder where you saved the files:
python "physics mirror school project.py"
python "physics vectors school project.py"On Windows, you can also use py instead of python. Both scripts use Python's standard library (tkinter and math; the mirror tool also uses sys and traceback). There is no requirements.txt to install. Some Linux installations require Tkinter to be installed separately (commonly python3-tk).
File: physics mirror school project.py
This project lets you change the position of an object and watch how its rays interact with a concave or plane mirror. The main black canvas draws the mirror, rays, and image location; a smaller preview shows the image orientation and magnification.
- Switch between concave and plane mirror modes.
- Move the object using the Do (object distance) slider.
- Adjust the mirror's displayed height and add extra rays.
- See the reflected ray paths, focal point and center labels where relevant.
- Read the focal length, object distance, and image distance from the interface.
- Compare the ray diagram with a magnification preview.
- Run
python "physics mirror school project.py". - Choose concave or plane from the menu.
- Change Do to move the object.
- Adjust Height and Extra rays to explore the diagram.
- Watch how the drawn rays and calculated image change.
Concave mirror: The diagram displays reflected rays, the focal point (F), center of curvature (C), and the calculated image. The preview on the right shows image orientation and magnification.
Plane mirror: The diagram shows the incident and reflected rays and their extensions toward a virtual image behind the mirror.
For the concave mirror, the script uses a fixed radius and the mirror equation 1/f = 1/Do + 1/Di, with f = R/2. The sign and position of the image change depending on the object distance. The plane mirror mode treats the image as virtual, at the corresponding distance behind the mirror.
This is a classroom-style visualization, not a general optical ray-tracing engine. Some drawn rays are construction aids, and extreme settings can make parts of the diagram extend outside the canvas.
File: physics vectors school project.py
Enter the magnitudes and angles of several vectors to see them plotted on a coordinate grid. The program breaks the vectors into horizontal and vertical components, adds those components, and shows the resultant magnitude and angle.
- Choose how many vectors to enter.
- Enter each vector's magnitude (labeled speed in the app) and angle in degrees.
- Draw the individual vectors from the origin on a grid.
- Calculate the combined horizontal (Rx) and vertical (Ry) components.
- View a resultant magnitude and direction, alongside a line drawn in the opposite direction.
- Clear the data to start again.
- Run
python "physics vectors school project.py". - Enter the number of vectors and select Submit.
- In the next window, enter each vector's speed/magnitude and angle.
- Continue until all vectors are entered.
- Review the grid, resultant arrows, and result window. Use Clear to reset.
1. Enter each vector: The properties window asks for the magnitude (labeled speed) and its angle.
2. Watch the graph build: Entering successive vectors adds lines to the coordinate grid. This screenshot shows the graph while the fourth vector is being entered.
3. Check the calculated result: After the last vector, the program displays the resultant magnitude and angles alongside the completed graph.
The calculation resolves each vector into x = magnitude × cos(angle) and y = magnitude × sin(angle), then uses R = √(Rx² + Ry²) and atan2(Ry, Rx) for its magnitude and direction.
The current input validation accepts whole-number, nonnegative values only for the magnitudes and angles. Negative angles and decimal inputs are rejected. The interface also reports an angle offset by 180°, so pay attention to which arrow and direction you are interpreting. This is a learning project rather than a precision measurement tool.
I made these programs to experiment with physics beyond static textbook diagrams. Moving a slider or adding another vector makes it easier to connect the equations to what appears on the screen.
The code is kept in two independent files so you can open, study, or modify either project without needing the other one. Both programs run locally after Python/Tkinter are set up.
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