The Simple Pendulum School of Physics ² Book a Placement Call
Online · K–12 · Quarterly Enrollment

Hone your
physics problem-solving
skills with #SP2

A rigorous after-school physics program built around the way physicists actually think and optimizing for problem-solving from first principles (the so-called CAST method: collect, analyze, solve, take-away). Eleven-week quarters. No more than ten students to a section, problem sets from Introductory to Olympiad weight.

Book a Placement Call → See all 8 courses
8Courses, Grades 6–12
11 wkQuarterly cadence
≤ 10Students per class
100%Live, online
Faculty highlights
Physics Olympiad Finalists
FizTech
Oxford University
Goethe University
Bell-Labs alumni

We teach physics rigorously because the work itself, done well, builds fluency, intuition, and the skill of solving problems from first principles, empowering them to be pro-active problem-solvers for life.

Simple Pendulum faculty

Four quarters.
One long arc.

Every course runs four times a year in eleven-week quarters. You can start in any quarter, since the curriculum is modular and every student gets a diagnostic before placement so they land in the right seat.

Q1 · FALL 2026

Fall

Sep 8 → Nov 14
11 weeks · registration open
Enrolling now
Q2 · WINTER 2026/27

Winter

Dec 1 → Feb 13
11 weeks · opens Oct 15
Waitlist
Q3 · SPRING 2027

Spring

Mar 2 → May 15
11 weeks · opens Jan 10
Announce soon
Q4 · SUMMER 2027

Summer

Jun 15 → Aug 21
11 weeks · accelerated tracks
TBA

Our courses

Eight tracks, from first-taste mechanics to Olympiad-grade problem solving. Each is taught in small live sections with weekly problem sets, office hours, and a graded final. Pick by grade level or by ambition.

Grades 6–8

Intro Physics

Motion, forces, energy, taught the pendulum way. First taste of proof-style problem-solving.

kinematicsdynamicsenergy
Course details
Grades 9–12 · Honors

Honors Physics I

Mechanics done right: vectors, Newton’s laws, energy & momentum, rotational dynamics, SHM.

mechanicsrotationsSHM
Course details
Grades 10–12 · Honors

Honors Physics II

Electricity & magnetism, waves, optics, intro thermodynamics. Builds to college-prep Physics C.

E&Mwavesoptics
Course details
AP1
AP · Grades 10–12

AP Physics 1

Algebra-based mechanics, fully aligned to the CollegeBoard curriculum with weekly FRQ practice.

AP prepFRQ drills
Course details
AP2
AP · Grades 11–12

AP Physics 2

Fluids, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, modern physics. Exam-aligned and deep.

AP prepE&Mthermo
Course details
C:M
AP · Calc-based · Flagship

AP Physics C: Mechanics

Calculus-based mechanics with Lagrangian previews. Our most-selected senior track.

calculusmechanicsproof-heavy
Course details
C:EM
AP · Calc-based

AP Physics C: E&M

Gauss, Ampère, Faraday, Maxwell. Serious vector calculus. Runs as a sequel to C: Mechanics.

Maxwellvector calc
Course details
F=ma
Selective · by invite

Olympiad / F=ma Prep

USAPhO-track training. Hard problems, elegant solutions, weekly mock exams with coach review.

USAPhOF=maselective
Course details

How we teach physics

We don't plug numbers into memorized formulas. We start from a phenomenon (a swinging bob, a charged particle, a falling cat) and build the math needed to predict it. Every problem moves through the same four stages, which we call CAST:

CollectAnalyzeSolveTakeaway
01 · COLLECT

Read the givens

List every quantity, every constraint, every unit. Identify what the problem actually asks for. The framing comes before any equation.

02 · ANALYZE

Choose the physics

Decide which laws apply. Sketch the situation; label every force or field that matters; pick coordinates that respect the symmetry. The diagram is the contract between you and the math.

03 · SOLVE

Symbols before numbers

Translate the picture into equations and solve symbolically. Every step is justified, every algebraic move written down. Numbers go in only at the end.

04 · TAKEAWAY

What did you learn?

Check the units. Push the answer to a limit and ask whether it still makes sense. State what the result tells you that you didn't know before. The takeaway carries into the next problem.

Problem of the Week

try it. no calculator.

Every Monday our faculty post a problem. Solve it by Friday, submit a written proof, and get personalized feedback from an instructor. Open to everyone, no enrollment required.

See the archive → Get it by email
Week 14 · Mechanics
Problem № 14

The Chain Pendulum

A uniform chain of length L and mass M hangs from a pivot. When struck horizontally at its bottom with impulse J, what is the angular velocity of the chain immediately after impact? Express your answer in terms of L, M, J, and g.

Hint
angular impulse about the pivot.
watch the moment of inertia of a
uniform rod.
Difficulty  ★★★★☆ Level  AP C / Olympiad Due  Fri 11:59 PM

Your instructors

A small, working faculty. Between the three founders: a condensed-matter physicist with a decade of university-level teaching, a systems architect with a decade in industrial automation, and a biomedical engineer who is a senior teacher at one of the leading after-school math enrichment programs in the US.

Aleksej V. Mialitsin headshot

Aleksej V. Mialitsin

Founder · Mechanics lead
avm@simple-pendulum.com

Condensed-matter physicist turned full-time teacher. After a decade of research that culminated in a Physical Review B paper recognized with Editor's Choice, AVM made the full transition into teaching. He taught University Physics at the University of Denver and was voted Tutor of the Year by students in 2024. At SP² he leads the Mechanics track, insisting every problem be solved from first principles with full derivation shown.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Physics & Astronomy · Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey · 2010
  • M.Sc. (Diplom) in Physics · Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main · 2004
  • B.Sc. (Vordiplom) in Physics and in Mathematics · Universität Siegen · 1999

Distinctions

  • Tutor of the Year, University of Denver · 2024
  • Editor's Choice selection, Physical Review B
  • Lucent-Rutgers Fellowship in Condensed Matter Physics, Bell Laboratories · 2005
  • Instructor Advancement Program Level II, Arapahoe Community College · 2021
  • CRLA Level 1 Certified Tutor, University of Denver · 2017
Gleb E. Selin headshot

Gleb E. Selin

E&M · Honors II
ges@simple-pendulum.com

Lead IT Solutions Architect by day, STEM teacher by evening. GES brings practicing-engineer perspective into the Electricity & Magnetism classroom, with a day job designing industrial automation and control systems for a software company. Outside SP² he volunteers as a debate coach for teenagers through AMC and as a mentor with the Lighthouse Charity Foundation. Believes discipline, focus, regular hard work, and teamwork produce results that look unbelievable from the outside.

Education

  • M.Sc. in Protection and Control Systems · Lviv Polytechnic National University · 2002
  • B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering · Lviv Polytechnic National University

Instructional expertise

  • Electrical Engineering, Electrotechnics
  • Industrial Automation and Control Systems
  • Industrial Solution Architectures
Petro P. Yakovchuk headshot

Petro P. Yakovchuk

Intro Physics · Middle School
ppy@simple-pendulum.com

Boston-trained Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Moscow-Phys-Tech-trained in Applied Math and Physics. PPY is a senior teacher at one of the leading after-school math enrichment programs in the US. At SP² he teaches the Intro Physics track and the Pre-Calculus and Calculus courses that sit alongside it, so students have the math scaffolding in place before the physics needs it.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering · Boston University · 2006
  • B.Sc. in Applied Math and Physics · Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Instructional expertise

  • Physics
  • Calculus
  • Pre-Calculus

From a parent,
this spring.

real email, used with permission.

We hear some version of this every month. Kids outgrow their school curriculum, parents go looking for something that stretches them without burning them out. Here’s one we kept on the board.

Dear Aleksej and the Simple Pendulum team,

 

I am inquiring about enrolling my daughter in your

summer classes for 2025. Please confirm whether

you will offer any online summer classes this year.

 

My daughter Arina is completing 9th grade and will

enter 10th in the fall. She studied Pre-Calc Adv and

Geometry during 2024–2025.

 

We’re interested in deepening her understanding

of physics — strengthening her foundation and

addressing any gaps — while moving ahead.

 

Could you recommend a course? And when does

online registration open?

 

Thank you!

— Aleksei & Anna
RSM parents · Sent Feb 2026 · Enrolled in Honors Physics I

Frequently asked

Short answers to the questions we get in our inbox every week. If yours isn’t here, email the faculty directly.

+Can my student start mid-quarter?

Usually, no. Our curriculum builds week by week and every quarter ends with a cumulative final. But we run a rolling waitlist, and if an instructor thinks a late entry is viable (e.g. the student already covered the first two weeks elsewhere), we’ll place them. Default plan: reserve a seat now for the next quarter and join our free Problem of the Week in the meantime.

+How do you place my student in the right level?

Every new student takes a short diagnostic (~40 minutes, untimed) before their first quarter. A lead instructor reviews it alongside transcripts and grade level, then recommends a placement. If we think you should start one course earlier or later than your age suggests, we’ll tell you, and we’ll be candid about why.

+What does a typical class look like?

Live, 90 minutes, twice a week. A phenomenon or problem at the top. Guided derivation, then worked examples, then students solve in small breakout groups while the instructor circulates. We record everything and post it to the student portal by end of day.

+How much homework should I expect?

Intro Physics: 2–3 hours/week. Honors I & II: 4–6 hours/week. AP and Olympiad tracks: 6–10 hours/week, with hard problems that are meant to take an hour each. We don’t believe in busywork; every problem is on the problem set for a reason.

+Do you offer summer programs?

Yes. Q4 (Summer) runs a condensed version of the school-year tracks plus two accelerated-only offerings: Olympiad Bootcamp and Bridge to AP Physics C. Registration for summer opens in March; we announce it on the newsletter and in the calendar above.

+What math background is required?

Intro & Honors I assume comfort with algebra and right-triangle trig. Honors II and AP Physics 2 assume algebra II and basic trig identities. AP Physics C (Mechanics & E&M) assumes concurrent or completed calculus. We don’t teach calculus in class, but we’ll refresh what you need in office hours.

+What is the class size, and who teaches?

Ten students per section, hard cap. Every section is taught by a lead instructor (see Instructors above). No TAs or recorded-only sections. If a section fills, we open another taught by the same lead.

+How do I enroll, and what does a placement call look like?

Book a placement call using the button above. You'll get a 45-minute one-on-one with a faculty member: a short conversation, one or two problems solved together, and a placement recommendation. If you want to enroll, we'll send the next quarter's calendar and a simple intake form. No long contracts, no surprise fees.

Start with a placement call.

45 minutes with a faculty member. One real problem. Honest placement advice.
Free, no commitment.

Book a Placement Call → Email the faculty

Our Statement on the United States of America aggression against Iran

Please see our full statement at the link below.

Read the full statement →