Why don't you approach it like this: forget about the real world, and think about building a virtual world with all these theories in place. I get you are a programmer so this shouldn't be too hard.
Now don't go building a real physics engine, that is not the point. The point is to calm down the anxiety in your head by working in this very limited virtual world instead of the real world.
After you figured it out in the virtual world, you can do the next more difficult step of looking how much your application in this virtual world would differ from the real one. Or you could just stay in the virtual world of course :).
If there was some kind of VR physics lab I think it would be fantastic because it would democratize access to all the tools without having to spend money to learn in that setting. In fact you could even simulate large scale things and see how they interact (boulder crashing into car, etc).
Is there educational software like this which is aimed at beginners?
Now don't go building a real physics engine, that is not the point. The point is to calm down the anxiety in your head by working in this very limited virtual world instead of the real world.
After you figured it out in the virtual world, you can do the next more difficult step of looking how much your application in this virtual world would differ from the real one. Or you could just stay in the virtual world of course :).