About Physics of Buildings
Physics of Buildings explains how the systems inside homes and commercial buildings work, through their physics: pumps and pressure tanks, water heaters, drains and vents, heat pumps and the air they condition. It is written for two readers at once: the homeowner with a problem, and the technician, apprentice, student or engineer who wants the mechanism and the numbers.
Each explainer starts from a working simulation of the system, drawn cut open the way a good service manual draws it, so you can operate it and watch cause become effect. There are no ads and no sign-up.
How the explainers are made§
The explainers are made by an AI-assisted production system. An AI agent researches the sources, writes the text and builds the simulations; separate verification steps check the work before a page is published.
How the physics is checked§
- Independent tests of every model. Each simulation is tested by its author against worked examples and published tables, and again by an independent test suite (an oracle) written from the model specification and the sources alone, without reading the model’s code.
- A claims register. Every factual claim is recorded with its source and checked by a reviewer who did not write it. Each explainer lists its sources.
- Reviews and approval. Each page is reviewed for scientific accuracy, for teaching and for design by reviewers who did not build it, tested in a real browser for accessibility and for use on a phone, and approved by a person before it is published.
- Stated simplifications. What each figure simplifies is said next to the figure.
Editorial boundaries§
- We explain mechanisms and diagnosis. We do not give step-by-step instructions for work on energized electrical equipment, gas appliances, refrigerant circuits or well-pump wiring. Where a job involves line voltage, gas, refrigerant or stored pressure, we say so and say when to call a licensed professional.
- Codes and licensing vary by state, province and county. Nothing here is a statement of code compliance, and no calculator result is a sizing guarantee.
- Simulations illustrate mechanisms with representative numbers. They are not measurements of any particular installation.
- Manufacturers’ documents are cited because they publish the numbers installers use; citing one is not an endorsement.
Found an error?§
Please open an issue on the source repository. Corrections are welcome and credited.
Reuse§
Text and figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; code is MIT. Teachers and trainers may use and adapt any of it, with attribution.