Nuclear Physics

Nuclear physics simulations model the behaviour of atomic nuclei and the reactions that release nuclear energy. Radioactive decay simulations place hundreds of unstable nuclei on screen and allow each to decay stochastically with its empirical half-life, directly demonstrating the exponential decay law and statistical fluctuations. Nuclear chain-reaction simulations track neutron multiplication in a fissile slab under subcritical, critical, and supercritical conditions.

Fission and fusion cross-section visualisers show how reaction probability varies with incident particle energy, explaining why fusion requires plasma temperatures above 100 million Kelvin. These models draw on data from the ENDF nuclear reaction database and use Monte Carlo neutron-transport techniques — the same methods employed in reactor safety codes and nuclear-weapon simulation programs (declassified educational versions).

Each simulation in this category is built with accuracy and interactivity in mind. The underlying mathematical models are the same ones used in academic research and professional engineering — just made accessible through a web browser. Changing parameters in real time and observing the results is one of the most effective ways to build intuition for complex scientific and engineering concepts.