---
key: mechanic/puzzle--family-physics
type: mechanic
id: puzzle--family-physics
lang: en
title: 'Forces, supports and movement'
summary: >-
  The player reaches a target state through physical interactions among objects
  and supports.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/puzzle--family-physics/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/puzzle--family-physics.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/puzzle--family-physics.md
aliases:
  - 'Forces, supports and motion'
tags:
  - Puzzles
  - Mechanics catalog
sourceIds:
  - source-8a3a7e105b6c798e
sources:
  - id: source-8a3a7e105b6c798e
    title: Portal
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: puzzle
    id: family-physics
    title: Puzzles
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/puzzle/#family-physics'
    categoryIds:
      - section-1
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: 'Forces, supports and motion'
    description: >-
      The player reaches a target state through physical interactions among
      objects and supports.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/adventure-portal-04.webp
      width: 640
      height: 360
      game: Portal
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/400/0000002586.1920x1080.jpg?t=1745368554
      credit: Valve
      rights: >-
        Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed
        Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: A cube holds a button down with its weight
      alt: A cube holds a button down with its weight
      markers:
        - x: 80
          'y': 53
          label: The support transfers the cube’s weight to the button
    tips:
      - Match visible object contact to the actual physics rule.
    examples:
      - title: Portal
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on
  2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are
  preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire
  classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and
  editorial review.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/puzzle
---
# Forces, supports and movement

id: puzzle--family-physics
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/puzzle--family-physics
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/puzzle--family-physics/

The player reaches a target state through physical interactions among objects and supports.

## At a glance

![A cube holds a button down with its weight](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/adventure-portal-04.webp)

[Portal](https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. The support transfers the cube’s weight to the button

- Match visible object contact to the actual physics rule.

- [Portal](https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/)

## How it works

Receive the target state from the physical interaction of objects.

## Variants

### Variants and applications

<a id="family-physics-variants"></a>

- Fall control. Definition: Create an order of falls that will deliver the object to the target. Conditional example: Remove the support under the desired load. <a id="variant-gravity-fall"></a>
- Changing the direction of gravity. Definition: Change the direction of the general fall for characters and objects. Conditional example: Throw a load from the wall to the ceiling. <a id="variant-gravity-direction"></a>
- Static balance. Definition: Place masses and supports so that the structure remains stable. Conventional example: Hold the platform horizontally with two weights. <a id="variant-balance-structure"></a>
- Transfer of the center of mass. Definition: To change the distribution of mass to tip, roll or hold. Conventional example: Pour a load inside a figure so that it goes over the edge. <a id="variant-center-of-mass"></a>
- Levers and power transmission. Definition: Select the location of the shoulders and mechanisms for the desired movement. Conditional example: Lift a heavy door with a light counterweight. <a id="variant-lever-transmission"></a>
- Inertia and impulse. Definition: Obtain the desired movement through acceleration, deceleration and impulse transfer. Conditional example: Accelerate the cart to the far platform. <a id="variant-momentum"></a>
- Trajectory calculation. Definition: Select the angle, force or initial launch position. Conditional example: Hit the target with a projectile after rebound. <a id="variant-trajectory"></a>
- Cutting ties. Definition: Choose the order of removing the hangers, taking into account swinging and falling. Conditional example: Cut two ropes in the required sequence. <a id="variant-rope-cut"></a>
- Physical chain reaction. Definition: Build a sequence of collisions and triggers. Conditional example: Launch a ball that will activate several levers. Terms: Rube Goldberg. <a id="variant-chain-reaction"></a>
- Attraction and repulsion. Definition: Move bodies through changes in poles and locations of force sources. Conditional example: Pass a metal ball between magnets. <a id="variant-magnetic-forces"></a>
- Buoyancy. Definition: Change the density, volume or level of a liquid to move a body. Conditional example: Raise a platform by filling a reservoir. <a id="variant-buoyancy"></a>
- Friction and adhesion. Definition: Changing surfaces and contact to allow or stop movement. Conventional example: Covering an inclined path with non-slip areas. <a id="variant-friction"></a>
- Drawing a physical object. Definition: Create a shape that will become a body, support or constraint in the simulation. Conventional example: Draw a hook holding a rolling ball. <a id="variant-draw-support"></a>
- Construction of the supporting system. Definition: Assemble a structure that can withstand given loads in the accepted physics model. Conditional example: Build a bridge from a limited number of beams. <a id="variant-structural-design"></a>

## Context and limits

A wide catalog of mechanics for digital puzzles, paper logic problems and physical puzzles. Each position contains an action or rule and a conditional example of application.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.

- [Portal](https://store.steampowered.com/app/400/) (id: source-8a3a7e105b6c798e)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors