LearnsimulationWorldsmith: Predict, Launch, Learn

Lesson · 15 min

Worldsmith: Predict, Launch, Learn

Hands-on: predict a trajectory on paper, then see what the simulation says.

Time to build and break a world. The Worldsmith lab below runs a real physics engine — gravity, air drag, four planets — entirely in your browser. But the game starts BEFORE the launch: like the hallucination lab, you commit to a prediction first, then the simulation grades you.

How to play

  • Sketch the arc on paper: where will it land? How high will it go?
  • Launch and compare. The hit meter scores your prediction, not only the shot.
  • Complete the challenges: the canon shot, the long shot, the alien basket, the vacuum trick.
  • Then break the model: toggle the vacuum switch and the frame-rate lever to see where the simulation itself is honest and where it lies.
This is the core loop of real science: predict, test, then revise the MODEL. Finish three challenges to earn the World Builder badge. +100 XP for the lab.

Hands-on lab

Worldsmith Physics Lab

Guess the landing spot, launch, then compare.

drag on
g=9.81 m/s² · drag=0.08 · dt=0.0083s
25 m/s
40°

1. Commit to a prediction

How far will it fly, and how high? Write your guess down before you launch.

2. Challenges

0/4 done

3. Check the model's assumptions

The simulation has built-in assumptions. Measure them.

Vacuum switch

Turn drag off and launch again. The change in range shows how much air resistance was shaping the answer.

Knowledge check

1

With air drag on, the launch angle that flies farthest is usually…

2

The same launch on the Moon vs. Earth differs mainly because…

3

Your prediction missed the landing spot. The scientist’s next step is…

Tip: finish the lab first — completing it auto-completes this lesson.