Mechanics diagnostic challenge
A contest for the mistakes that actually decide the problem.
The FirstPrinciples Challenge is a focused mechanics diagnostic: not a formula race, but a test of force models, constraints, system choice, and conservation decisions.
solvemechanics probe
namereasoning trap
repairatlas + rung
Leaderboard optional. Diagnostic value first.
01 Format
Built to feed the learning system.
Each item targets a known AP -> F=ma reasoning trap.
Students answer the physics and identify the tempting wrong model.
Every participant gets an Error Atlas and ladder recommendation.
Aggregate results become an anonymized mistake-pattern summary.
02 Trap set
The challenge has a point of view.
Normal-force trap
Inclines, elevators, and external pushes.
Constraint trap
Pulleys, two-block systems, and rolling conditions.
Circular-direction trap
Centripetal acceleration and banked-curve friction.
Energy/momentum trap
When a collision needs momentum, energy, or both.
prep Enter with a baseline
The best challenge result is not a score. It is knowing which model failed and what to train next.