Classical point mass
Newton’s laws for a body with no size. Free-fall time √(2h/g) when drag, spin, and relativity are all negligible.
Physics model map
The same ball can be a point mass, a point mass with drag, a deforming continuum, or a statistical collection of degrees of freedom. Those are not rungs on one ladder. Each answers a different question.
Point mass plus drag
The same particle with a fluid force. Reynolds number picks linear or quadratic drag. The ratio of drag to weight says whether you may drop the term.
Continuum
Contact, stress, and elastic waves. Use it when the bounce height depends on deformation, not on a point-mass impulse.
Statistical ensemble
Temperature and fluctuations of many particles. A typical relative fluctuation scales as 1/√N. The mean is not the whole answer when N is small.
Special relativity
When a kinematic correction of order (v/c)² reaches the precision you asked for. Everyday ball speeds do not.
Quantum state
Interference, energy levels, and measurement. A single ratio S/ℏ is a semiclassical hint for trajectories, not a switch for every quantum effect.
Classical field
Electromagnetic waves. Maxwell’s equations are already Lorentz covariant. The object changed from a particle to a field.
The interactive map, with the Chinese cards and the tabs for multiple entries, is the working copy the tests follow.