I would like an educational tool to allow a child to 'drag and drop' or 'add' a planet to a workspace, adjust the x, y and z velocities as well as the size and mass.
OF the numerous simulators I have looked at, the complexity is daunting and the cognitive load may be too great for an average middle schooler.
I read this post
Can Kerbal Space Program act as a suitable simulator with the right mods?
and the suggestions are nice but quite complex.
I read this post
Game for teaching basics of orbital mechanics
but even these suggestions are beyond the simple ideas I would like to present in a simple talk that cannot exceed 1 class.(45 minutes)
Osmos is close but I need something that shows numbers (velocities, masses, acceleration)
Something like Kerbal would be nice but even simpler. Say I want to put a couple of bowling balls in space and adjust their mass and velocities so they orbit. Or perhaps put them in space and examine elastic collisions.