Genetic Algorithm 2D Magnetic Physics Simulation

[Dingus]

I've been looking for a program that simulates physics in 2D. I know there are plenty of them out there like Algodoo, but none of them that I've been able to find can simulate permanent magnets with a decent degree of accuracy & that the ones I have seen are mostly closed-source.

What I was hoping to do was to make a program that uses a genetic algorithm (much like BoxCar2D) to procedurally place bar & disc magnets of various dimensions, orientations, strengths & weights in rotationally-symmetrical locations around a free-spinning wheel & the stationary background. The program would try out millions of combinations on its own guiding the magnet placement until the wheel is self-spinning at the highest speed with the fewest possible magnets.

[Dave45]

how can they make a simulator when they dont know what fields to simulate?

[Dingus]

how can they make a simulator when they dont know what fields to simulate?

We're only talking about how one magnet moves around another magnet, not the inner workings of magnetic fields & other junk that only matters on a subatomic scale.

[Dingus]

2-Dimensionally it would be fairly easy to figure our how to simulate magnets given the proper equipment. One magnet would have to be attached to a fixed nonferrous material like wood & another would have to be attached to a nonferrous armature that measure the direction & amount of force put on it by the first one. This would be done with a variety of sized/shaped magnets until a trend was found.

That's what I would do when given the proper equipment, but then again I don't actually know anything about simulating magnetic fields.