The State Vector

• Cart position $x\in [-2.4,2.4]$ meters
• Cart velocity $\dot{x}$ (m/s)
• Pole angle $\theta \in [-{12}^{\circ },{12}^{\circ }]$ from vertical
• Pole angular velocity $\dot{\theta }$ (rad/s)

Actions: discrete left or right pushes. Use the left/right arrows (or A/D). A neutral action (no push) is included for completeness, but makes balancing harder.

Gym-Compatible Dynamics

• Force magnitude: 10 N applied to the cart (left or right)
• Masses: cart 1.0 kg, pole 0.1 kg; pole half-length 0.5 m
• Update rate: 50 Hz ($\tau =0.02$ s) using Euler integration
• Gravity: 9.8 m/s^2; pole torque couples cart acceleration and angle
• Termination: $|x|>2.4$ m, $|\theta |>{12}^{\circ }$, or 500 steps

These are the exact equations from OpenAI Gym's CartPole-v1 so you can swap in an RL agent later without changing the environment.

How to Play

• Controls: hold left/right arrows (or A/D) to push the cart
• Goal: keep the pole upright and the cart on the track
• Score: +1 every physics step; max episode length 500
• Fail conditions: pole angle beyond 12°, or cart beyond ±2.4 m
• Reset: click "Reset Episode" to randomize the initial state

Watch the state values update in real time. Even tiny delays push the system toward failure.

What to Notice

• The best strategy is gentle, rapid corrections—overcorrection makes the pole whip around.
• CartPole highlights why tabular RL (like grid world) fails on continuous spaces.
• This manual controller sets the stage for Deep RL (e.g., DQN) to automate balancing.
• Look at angular velocity: reacting to $\dot{\theta }$ early is key to staying upright.
• Try letting go: within seconds the pole diverges, showing the inherent instability.

Live Competition Mode

Challenge: Keep the pole balanced for as long as possible in slow motion! Compete for the highest survival time in your class.

⚠️ Keep this tab active - switching to another tab may temporarily remove you from the leaderboard

Competition Rules:

• Everyone uses the same initial CartPole physics
• Rendering runs at 10 FPS (slow motion) for fairness
• Physics still runs at 50 Hz internally - no accuracy compromises
• Unlimited attempts - your best survival time counts
• Real-time leaderboard shows top 10 performers

Scoring:

• Score = survival time (number of steps before termination)
• Maximum possible score: 500 steps
• Your best attempt is automatically submitted

Strategy Tips:

• Slow motion gives you more time to react
• Watch angular velocity closely for early corrections
• Practice on normal mode first to understand the physics