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Aerodynamic Leaf Descent Simulator (2D)

A tilt-driven aerodynamic feedback loop — the same coupling studied in real falling-leaf and falling-card dynamics — produces bounded flutter, chaotic tumbling or a stable diagonal glide as you tune leaf size, mass/thickness and flat-vs-cupped shape.

Physics & Mechanics2DModerate60 FPS⇄ 3D version

This 2D side-view simulator drops a leaf and models the real coupled feedback between its tilt and the aerodynamic force it experiences: asymmetric lift from any tilt drives further rotation, which changes the lift again — the same mechanism behind real leaf flutter and tumble. Tune leaf size, mass/thickness and flat-vs-cupped shape to move between chaotic side-to-side flutter, end-over-end tumbling and a stable diagonal glide, and watch the dimensionless inertia-to-drag ratio, rotation rate and descent speed update live alongside the fading trajectory trace.

⚙ Under the hood

A 2D side-view simulator of a falling leaf whose tilt and aerodynamic force feed back on each other, producing flutter, tumble or glide depending on tunable size, mass/thickness and flat-vs-cupped shape.

Falling LeafFlutterTumbleAerodynamicsChaos

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install