My big animation with Python and a lot of nice features

What you can animate with Python for your physics learning

How to Run This Simulation

To get the Stoppenberg (is the name of a quarter of the town in Essen here in the West-Germany - we have a lot of hills here) Physics Sim running on your local machine, follow these three simple steps:

1. Install the Prerequisites

First, ensure you have Python installed. Then, open your terminal (Fedora) or Command Prompt (Windows) and install the required libraries using pip:

Bash

pip install pygame mariadb

Note for Windows users: If you want the automatic service check to work, also install:

Bash

pip install pywin32

2. Set Up Your Database

The script expects a MariaDB database named laufen with a table to store the results. Run the following SQL command in your MariaDB console (you should create a database before):

Open your installed MariaDB database with

mysql -u <your username> - p

enter the password of your username.

CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS laufen;

USE laufen;

SQL

CREATE DATABASE laufen;

USE laufen;

CREATE TABLE simulation_ergebnisse (

id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,

zeitstempel DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,

masse_kg DECIMAL(5,2),

hoehenmeter DECIMAL(6,2),

hubarbeit_kj DECIMAL(10,4),

kommentar VARCHAR(255)

);

Here is a screenshot of the database:

3. Execute the Script

Simply run the script with:

Bash

python your_script_name.py

Enter your database password securely when prompted.

Define your backup folder and filename.

Set your physics parameters (Mass, Gravity, and Height).

Watch the simulation run! Each completed lap will be logged to both the database and a timestamped local text file.

Why this setup matters

By using this workflow, you aren’t just running a script; you are interacting with a Full-Stack Simulation.

The Frontend: Pygame handles the visual representation.

The Backend: MariaDB ensures data persistence for long-term analysis.

The Safety Net: The local text logs provide redundancy in case of network or database issues.

Here is the 45 seconds long video.

Here is the program (in Python):

import pygame
import sys
import mariadb
import getpass
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path
import subprocess
import platform
import warnings

# Suppress unnecessary deprecation warnings in the console
warnings.filterwarnings("ignore", category=DeprecationWarning)

# --- 0. SECURITY & PATH CONFIGURATION ---
db_password = getpass.getpass("Enter MariaDB password for user 'sven': ")
filename_input = input("Enter name for backup text files (e.g., sim_data.txt): ")
folder_input = input("Enter folder name for backups (e.g., simulations): ")

# Create path safely using Pathlib
home_dir = Path.home()
target_folder = home_dir / folder_input
target_folder.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

# --- 1. INPUT HELPER ---
def get_valid_input(prompt, allow_zero=False):
    while True:
        try:
            value = float(input(prompt))
            if allow_zero and value >= 0: return value
            if value > 0: return value
            print("Error: Please enter a positive number.")
        except ValueError:
            print("Error: Invalid input. Use numbers (use a dot for decimals).")

# --- 2. PARAMETER INPUT ---
print("\n--- Physics Simulation Parameters ---")
runs_total = int(get_valid_input("How many runs should be simulated?: "))
mass = get_valid_input("Mass of the runner (kg): ")
g = get_valid_input("Gravity (e.g., 9.81 for Earth, 1.62 for Moon): ")
max_height = get_valid_input("Height of the incline (m): ")

runs_counter = 0

# --- 3. CROSS-PLATFORM SERVICE CHECK ---
print("\nDetecting OS and checking MariaDB status...")
system_os = platform.system()

if system_os == "Linux":
    try:
        result = subprocess.run(
            ['systemctl', 'is-active', 'mariadb.service'], 
            capture_output=True, text=True
        )
        status = result.stdout.strip()
        print(f"Linux detected. MariaDB Status: {status}")
        if status != "active":
            print("Warning: MariaDB service might not be running!")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Linux check failed: {e}")

elif system_os == "Windows":
    try:
        # Lazy import to prevent errors on Linux systems
        import win32serviceutil
        status = win32serviceutil.QueryServiceStatus('MariaDB')[1]
        if status == 4: # 4 corresponds to 'Running'
            print("Windows detected. MariaDB service is running.")
        else:
            print("Windows detected. MariaDB service is NOT started.")
    except ImportError:
        print("Note: 'pywin32' not installed. Skipping Windows service check.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Windows check failed: {e}")

# --- 4. DATABASE CONNECTION ---
try:
    conn = mariadb.connect(
        user="sven", 
        password=db_password,
        host="127.0.0.1",
        database="laufen"
    )
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    print("Database connection established.")
except mariadb.Error as e:
    print(f"Database error: {e}")
    sys.exit(1)

# --- 5. PYGAME SETUP ---
pygame.init()
width, height = 800, 400
screen = pygame.display.set_mode((width, height))
pygame.display.set_caption("Physics Sim Pro - Multi-Run & DB Logging")
font = pygame.font.SysFont("Arial", 20)

# Coordinates for the incline (Point A to Point B)
A, B = (50, 350), (750, 100)
x_pos = A[0]
speed = 3.0 

# --- 6. MAIN LOOP ---
while runs_counter < runs_total:
    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            conn.close()
            pygame.quit()
            sys.exit()

    screen.fill((255, 255, 255))
    pygame.draw.line(screen, (0,0,0), A, B, 3)
    
    # Calculate position and physics
    progress = (x_pos - A[0]) / (B[0] - A[0])
    y_pos = A[1] + progress * (B[1] - A[1])
    current_height = progress * max_height
    work_kj = (mass * g * current_height) / 1000

    # Display HUD
    screen.blit(font.render(f"Run: {runs_counter + 1} / {runs_total}", True, (0,0,0)), (50, 20))
    screen.blit(font.render(f"Gravity: {g} m/s²", True, (0,0,0)), (50, 50))
    screen.blit(font.render(f"Work: {work_kj:.2f} kJ", True, (200,0,0)), (50, 80))

    # Draw character
    pygame.draw.circle(screen, (0, 102, 204), (int(x_pos), int(y_pos) - 50), 10) # Head
    pygame.draw.line(screen, (0, 102, 204), (x_pos, y_pos - 40), (x_pos, y_pos), 2) # Body

    x_pos += speed
    
    # Goal reached logic
    if x_pos >= B[0]:
        final_work = (mass * g * max_height) / 1000
        
        # A) Save to MariaDB
        try:
            comment = f"Run {runs_counter+1} at g={g}"
            sql = "INSERT INTO simulation_ergebnisse (masse_kg, hoehenmeter, hubarbeit_kj, kommentar) VALUES (%s, %s, %s, %s)"
            cursor.execute(sql, (mass, max_height, final_work, comment))
            conn.commit()
            print(f"Run {runs_counter+1} saved to Database.")
        except mariadb.Error as e:
            print(f"Database insertion error: {e}")

        # B) Create Local Backup Log
        runs_counter += 1
        time_name = datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S")
        time_content = datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
        
        file_path = target_folder / f"{time_name}_{filename_input}"
        
        with open(file_path, "w") as f:
            f.write(f"Timestamp: {time_content}\n")
            f.write(f"Run {runs_counter} completed.\n")
            f.write(f"Parameters: Mass={mass}kg, g={g}, Height={max_height}m\n")
            f.write(f"Result: {final_work:.2f} kJ of work performed.\n")
        
        print(f"Backup file created: {file_path.name}")
        x_pos = A[0] # Reset to start

    pygame.display.flip()
    pygame.time.Clock().tick(60)

# Cleanup
print(f"\nSimulation successfully finished. {runs_counter} runs logged.")
conn.close()
pygame.quit()

The screenshot of the log file: