Several pre-configured simulations come built into Spring Chain and are accessible by choosing them from the Simulations pull-down menu. These simulations automatically customize themselves to fit into the scale and parameters that you have chosen. For instance, no matter how many particles you are monitoring, choosing the ‘Sine’ simulation will always give one full period of a sine wave. It should be noted, however, that if you change the number of particles after choosing a simulation, you must reselect that simulation from the pull down menu to have the particle positions recalculated.

A description of each of the simulations is given below:

• Random- this simulation assigns each particle a random position and velocity according to the current scale of the animation graph.
• Sine- this simulation places the particles in the position of one full period of a sine wave and sets all the initial velocities to zero.
• Gaussian- this simulation alligns the particles in a pulse configuration resembling a Gaussian distribution.
• Modulated Gaussian- this simulation orients the particles in the configuration of a sine curve multiplied by the Gaussian distribution.
• Symmetric Mode- a well studied configuration in many mechanics class, in this simulation the particles are aligned in a configuration that is symmetric on either side of the center of the chain.
• Antisymmetric Mode- another well studied configuration, in this simulation the particles are aligned in a configuration that shows one half of the spring chain to be the exact opposite of the other.
• Pulse- this simulation places the particles in an orientation resembling a single pulse of a square wave.
• Symmetric Pulse- this simulation places the particles into two square wave pulses—one positive and one negative.