Nov

12

Calamity Game

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The Calamity Game is probably the coolest physics application I’ve discovered since I found Line Rider.

The premise of the Calamity Game is that you have some sort of a crash test dummy-like figure. You fasten him to springs or create platforms and then apply force in one direction or another. The dummy springs back and forth and you’re left to figure out why and how. If you wanted it to go up, why did it go sideways? If you thought it would crumple, why did it fly off?

The game comes with a couple of videos to show you how to use the interface so it’s fairly easy to learn.

The really great part about the Calamity Game and Line Rider is that it gets the students’ attention. I talked to our school’s physics teacher about these games while a student was standing close by. The student knew the game Line Rider. His eyes went wide when I suggested it would be a great game to use in class, and it might even be something that a physics teacher could use for contests. I very obviously had the student’s attention. Luckily for him, the teacher went and checked out the game and told me he thought it was cool. It might even work its way into his classroom.

Feb

6

Physics Education

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Physics Education Today has a nifty little site that could be useful for highschool physics classes or younger elementary classes, too, depending on just what scientific principles you wanted to illustrate.

The site uses a number of flash animations to show how electrons move around when a balloon rubs a wall, simulated wave motion, and a half a dozen other cool things. It’s a neat way to bring a physics lab to your students without having a physics lab close at hand. Very handy stuff.

Jan

22

One cool little game

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Okay, this is a game I discovered on Saturday that I’d just love to use in a physics class. It wonderfully illustrates the properties of velocity and momentum, and, to top it off, it’s fun. For Line Rider you draw a line, either simple or elaborate, and when you press play your little man rides it on some trike-like vehicle.

Naturally, if your track is well designed, Line Rider goes for a very long and happy ride. If your track is poorly designed, Line Rider crashes and you can start over. If you want to see how the game works, check the videos on You Tube. The game has become something of a cult classic and literally thousands of videos of people’s games have been posted. Some of them are very, very cool.

If you’re a physics teacher, this is worth a look. If you’re just someone who likes to have fun, this is still worth a look.