Physics in CALCULA
The Physics field covers classical mechanics, energy, waves, electricity, thermodynamics and parts of special relativity. CALCULA tracks units (SI) and flags dimensional inconsistencies.
Mechanics and energy
A force changes a body's velocity in proportion to its mass. Kinetic energy grows with the square of speed: driving twice as fast quadruples the energy the brakes must dissipate.
Example
A 1200 kg car at 50 km/h (13.9 m/s) carries 116 kJ of kinetic energy; at 100 km/h, 463 kJ — four times as much.
Waves and electricity
For a wave, wavelength and frequency are inversely proportional at a fixed speed. In direct current, Ohm's law links voltage, resistance and current; power is voltage times current.
Thermodynamics and relativity
Heating a mass takes energy proportional to the temperature change and to the material's heat capacity. The Lorentz factor γ describes time dilation: negligible at low speed, it diverges as you approach the speed of light.
Example
Bringing 1.5 L of water (c ≈ 4185 J/kg·K) from 20 to 100 °C takes about 502 kJ — roughly 2 minutes for a 2000 W kettle at ideal efficiency.
Typing it into CALCULA
Pick the physics chapter in the “≡” menu, enter the known quantities with their units, and leave empty the one to compute. The visualisation illustrates the situation (forces, circuit, wave…). See also chemistry and orbital mechanics.