About this game
Newton's Playground is the most open game on the site and the best one for actually feeling what F = m·a means. The same drag-and-flick applied to a light purple ball and a dense pink hexagon produces completely different results, because acceleration is force divided by mass — and the readout on screen shows you both numbers while you aim.
It is a sandbox with a deadline. Each task asks you to get a number of objects into a collector, and the gravity control turns that from a throwing problem into a routing one: reversed gravity lifts a stuck object, zero gravity lets you line up a shot, and normal gravity drops it where you want it.
How to play
- Choose a shape with the number keys, then tap empty space to drop one.
- Drag from an existing shape and release to flick it. The drag length sets the impulse.
- Press G to cycle through normal, moon, zero, heavy and reversed gravity.
- Get the required number of objects into the green collector before the timer expires.
- Seven tasks complete the run.
Physics mechanics
Here is what the simulation is actually doing while you play.
Force, mass and acceleration
The same flick produces a much larger velocity change in a light object than a heavy one, because a = F/m. The readout shows the mass and the impulse so the relationship is visible rather than implied.
Impulse versus velocity
The flick applies an impulse — a change in momentum — rather than setting a velocity directly. That is why heavy objects genuinely resist being thrown.
Gravity as a setting
Changing gravity affects every body at once and does not depend on mass. A feather and a brick accelerate identically, which is easiest to see in the moon and reversed modes.
Action and reaction
Every impulse you apply shows up in whatever the object hits. Flicking one object into a pile is often more efficient than flicking each object in turn.
Objective
Get the required number of objects into the collector before the clock runs out.
Scoring
- Each object collected is worth 200 points.
- Completing a task awards 400 points plus 20 per second remaining and 90 per unused object.
- Objects lost off the edge of the arena are gone permanently.
Scores, favourites and play history are stored in your own browser using localStorage. There is no account, no leaderboard and no server: clearing your browser data clears them, and they do not follow you to another device.
Tips
- Light objects steer, heavy objects clear. Use the light purple balls when you need to redirect something mid-flight, and the dense pink hexagons when you need to shove a pile.
- Reversed gravity is a lift. If an object is stuck in a corner, flip gravity to lift it, reposition, then flip back over the collector.
- Zero gravity is a pause button. Switch to zero gravity to line up a flick without objects drifting, then restore gravity to drop them in.
- Bank off the slanted bars. The grey bars are angled deliberately. A shot that uses one is more reliable than a direct throw.
- Do not overspend objects. Unused objects are worth 90 points each. Two well-aimed flicks outscore six scattered ones.
Difficulty
Easy. There is no failure state other than the clock and running out of objects, and the object budget is always larger than the quota. It is the recommended starting point for understanding the rest of the catalogue.
Features
- Four object types with genuinely different mass
- Five gravity modes including zero and reversed
- Drag-to-flick that applies a real impulse scaled by mass
- Task objectives with a collector and a time limit
- Live mass and impulse readout while aiming
How accurate is this?
Physics Arcade games use simplified, tuned physics built for playability. They are not scientific simulations: forces, masses and timings are chosen because they feel good at 60 frames per second, not because they match measured values. Where a game departs from real-world behaviour in a way that matters, the game page says so.
Newton's Playground – FAQ
Why does the same flick move objects differently?
Because acceleration is force divided by mass. The heavy hexagon is roughly five times the mass of the light ball, so the same impulse produces about a fifth of the velocity change.
Does gravity affect heavy objects more?
No. Gravity produces the same acceleration regardless of mass. Switch to moon gravity and watch every object fall at the same rate.
Can I recover an object that fell off the arena?
No. Objects that leave the play area are gone, which is why the object budget is larger than the quota.
What is the readout above an object while I drag?
Its mass and the impulse your current drag would apply. It is there so the force-mass-acceleration relationship is explicit.
