1. A method comprising: creating, by a computing apparatus, an initial state of nodes and nets representative of a circuit netlist of elements of a region of an integrated circuit, wherein the initial state includes first locations of one or more of the nodes, and wherein the nodes are represented by state variables comprising position, velocity, and mass; generating, by the computing apparatus, a system of equations representative of motion of the nodes and nets resulting, at least in part, from one or more forces on the nodes and nets; evolving, by the computing apparatus, the system over time to determine second locations of one or more of the nodes; generating, by the computing apparatus, a placement of the elements of the integrated circuit in accordance with the determined second locations; and reducing, by the computing apparatus, congestion by transiting one or more of the nodes through one or more obstructed areas of the region.