Atwood Machine Challenge
Lift the load: the server picks a random load mass, pulley rig (including rope/pulley friction), goal direction (top or bottom), and a target time or speed (always achievable), you dial in the effort mass, and real Atwood-machine physics judges the attempt. Solving it refunds your run.
Preview — sign up free to change the numbers yourself
About this simulation
What it shows
A puzzle on an Atwood machine: you are given a load, a pulley set-up and a goal for how the load must move. You choose the effort mass, then run it to see if you succeeded.
The key idea
The load moves according to the difference between the effort and the load's weight, shared across the total mass. A bigger imbalance gives a faster move, so the effort mass sets both the direction and the pace.
Try this
Use the Mass A (effort) slider to make the effort side heavier than the load to lift it; a heavier effort lifts it faster.