Show HN: AI Physics Tutor with Free Body Diagrams
Hacker News - AI
Aug 2, 2025 22:50
andrewrn
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hackernewsaidiscussion
Summary
A developer has created an AI-powered physics tutor that uses large language models (LLMs) to interpret, generate, and edit free body diagrams, leveraging JSON and D3.js for consistent SVG visualizations. The tool can handle tasks like decomposing forces and explaining Newton's Second Law, demonstrating the potential for LLMs to aid in interactive STEM education by combining diagram generation with step-by-step mathematical explanations. This approach highlights the growing capability of AI to support conceptual learning and visualization in technical subjects.
Hi HN. I built a prototype AI physics tutor that can interpret, draw, and edit free body diagrams. Lately I've been transfixed with generating diagrams with LLMs. If you pipe generated JSON through a D3.js renderer, you can get pretty consistent SVG results with the smarter models. This physics tutor prototype is an example of an application. For a couple premade scenes, you can ask it to make an FBD, decompose an angled force into components, run through the math of Newton's Second Law, or off-road and try and generate a FBD for a scene of your own description. I previously made a similar example for electrical circuits: www.circuit-tutor.xyz LLMs have been really fun for me to brush up on my favorite physics and engineering topics, but if they could diagram and even simulate systems while also being able to explain the math, I think it could be genuinely useful for learning concepts from scratch. Would love any feedback on whether this, bolstered with more diagram types, better UX, a