Seesaw Simulation

An interactive physics simulation demonstrating how weight, distance, and torque affect a seesaw's balance. Users can click on the plank to drop a randomly generated weight and watch the seesaw tilt in real-time.

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Features

• Interactive weight placement
  Click anywhere on the seesaw to drop a weight (1–10 kg) at that position.

• Real-time physics calculations

  • Total weight on left & right
  • Torque = weight × distance
  • Tilt angle calculation (±30°)

• Smooth animations
  Plank rotates visually according to torque difference.

• Logs & Persistence
  Every drop is recorded with weight, side, and distance. All state is saved in localStorage and restored on reload.

• Responsive design
  Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile screens.

• Reset functionality
  Clears all weights, logs, and stored data instantly.

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Thought Process & Design Decisions

• Initial structure: Started the project by building the HTML and CSS layout, creating the basic structure for the seesaw, stats panel, and logs.
• Core calculations: Before handling the placement of weights visually, implemented the calculations for left and right total weight, torque, and tilt angle.
• Plank rotation and animations: Added smooth transitions for the plank based on calculated angles to reflect the seesaw tilting dynamically.
• Weight placement and improvements: Implemented the visual placement of weights on the plank and improved the design by making the size of each weight dynamic based on its value.
• LocalStorage integration: Added state persistence using LocalStorage. While integrating, realized that I needed to carefully determine which data to save, which required small adjustments in functions like newCircle and addLog.
• Responsive layout: Used percentage-based widths and media queries to ensure the simulation works well across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
• Visual clarity & user interaction: Ensured weights are visually distinct and the simulation is intuitive—clicking anywhere on the plank immediately adds a weight with smooth animations.

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AI Assistance

Some minor parts of the project were assisted by AI:

• Provided suggestions for debugging the localStorage save/load logic to ensure weights and logs persisted correctly.
• Suggested small responsive CSS improvements.
• Helped structure the README and organize feature sections.

All core physics calculations, DOM manipulation, weight placement logic, and animations were implemented manually.