The site currently covers 73+ categories with 225 simulations. This year we're adding three more topic areas that have been frequently requested and that align well with the kinds of interactive models we build best. Each is planned as a standalone category page with 8–12 simulations at launch.
From crystal structure visualisation to phase diagrams and superconductivity, Materials Science covers the atomic and micro-structural origins of material properties. These simulations sit at the intersection of chemistry and solid-state physics — great for materials engineering and chemistry curricula.
Interactive explorations of how data is transformed into visual form — and how visual form reveals structure in data. This category focuses on the algorithms behind the charts: force-directed graphs, spectral methods, dimensionality reduction.
Not just astrophysics — this category goes to the largest scales. Big Bang nucleosynthesis, the cosmic microwave background, dark matter halo formation, and the expansion history of the universe modelled as interactive explorations rather than static diagrams.
Why These Three?
The selection was driven by three signals:
- Search demand without good interactive resources. Searching for "crystal structure simulation" or "phase diagram interactive" returns mostly static images or Flash-era applets. There's a real gap for modern, mobile-friendly, WebGL implementations.
- Fit with the existing technology stack. Three.js r160 handles 3D crystal lattice rendering and N-body cosmological simulations naturally. Data visualization using Canvas 2D or SVG (for graph layouts) maps cleanly to the Canvas vs Three.js decision framework we've already documented.
- Curriculum alignment. Materials Science is taught at most engineering universities. Data Visualization is a core skill in data science curricula. Cosmology is covered in second-year astrophysics. All three have well-defined, teachable concepts that benefit from visual models.
Want to contribute a simulation in one of these areas? We especially welcome contributions to the Cosmology category — if you've implemented an N-body simulation or a Friedmann equation solver in JavaScript, reach out via the About page or open a PR.
What Happens to Existing Related Sims?
Several simulations already on the site will be cross-linked into the new categories without moving their URLs. For example:
- Crystal Growth (currently in Chemistry) → also linked from Materials Science
- Diffusion (currently in Physics) → also linked from Materials Science
- Binary Stars and Asteroid Deflection (Astrophysics) → cross-linked from Cosmology
- Barnsley Fern, Voronoi (Math) → cross-linked from Data Visualization
No URLs will change. Category pages will simply list the simulation under multiple headings with a clear "also in: [category]" note.