SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S GAMES Table of Contents I n t r o d u c t i o n 1 O v e r v i e w 3 P r o g r a m s 5 T R A C K 5 O B S TA C L E C O U R S E 7 R A C E 9 TA G 11 W R I T E Y O U R N A M E 1 3 Te a c h i n g I d e a s 1 5 v S t a r t i n g 1 6 M o v i n g i n a s t r a i g h t l i n e 1 6 T u r n i n g 1 7 S t o p p i n g 1 7 Te c h n i c a l P o s t s c r i p t 1 8 W o r k s h e e t 1 9 A p p l e I I : W o r k i n g w i t h t h e C o m p u t e r 2 0 I B M P C / P C j r : W o r k i n g w i t h t h e C o m p u t e r 2 1 TA N D Y 1 0 0 0 : W o r k i n g w i t h t h e C o m p u t e r 2 2 "What Happens If...?" - Sunburst Courseware and Warranty 23 *"^ Designer and Programmer: Judah L. Schwartz Teacher's Guide: Judah L. Schwartz E d i t o r s : M a r g e K o s e l Joni Jablansky Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines. Tandy 1000 is a registered trademark of Tandy Corporation. Copyright 1985 SUNBURST COMMUNICATIONS 39 Washington Avenue Pleasantville, NY 10570 (800)431-1934 In New York, Alaska, and Canada, call collect (914) 769-5030. INTRODUCTION Science at any level is about the study of the world around us. When we teach science, we try to get young people to be curious about the ways in which we see, hear, feel, and smell the world. If we are particularly successful, our students will understand that exploring one's curiosity about the world can be both rewarding and stimulating. Sometimes we are so familiar with a natural phenomenon that we don't regard it as an object worthy of study and wonderment. We don't seem to find it remarkable that hot cups of coffee cool and cold glasses of milk warm up and never the other way around, or that newborn kittens look like adult cats and that newborn horses look like adult horses. The way things move is another such phenomenon. We have watched movement and have ourselves been moving all our lives. However, we seldom turn our conscious attention to the nature of movement. It is not easy to build powerful theories of how things move... theories that are good enough to explain how a tractor and a hockey puck and a planet each moves through its surroundings. In fact, it took us as a species many thousands of years to arrive at the scientific descriptions of motion that we now have. There are different levels of description of motion. The more powerful, which are usually taught in advanced secondary or early college level physics courses, enable the student to make specific quantitative predictions about motion. That kind of description of motion requires more sophisticated mathematical tools than students can reasonably be expected to have mastered in the earlier grades. Despite the fact that a full and rich understanding of motion requires an understanding of calculus, it is possible even for very young children to acquire a deep qualitative understanding of the factors that govern motion. SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S GAMES is designed to help youngsters acquire just that kind of understanding. Such a qualitative understanding of motion is desirable not only for those who are not yet able to deal with more advanced mathematics, but for the mathematically knowledgeable as well. Indeed, all too often one encounters students at college level who are quite able to calculate mathematically but who do not have any kind of intuitive feel for the system whose motion they are describing. SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S GAMES is intended for them as well. The most appealing intuitive notion of how forces produce motion is that an object moves in the direction of the force on it. Suppose we kick a can around a schoolyard by administering a series of kicks to it at regular intervals. Each time we kick the can, it moves in the direction of the kick and comes to a halt. Kicking it again results in another move. If the direction of the second kick was different from that of the first one, then the direction of the second move will be different from that of the first one. Therefore, it seems that the conclusion that the can moves in the direction of the force exerted on it is a good description of its motion. If we try the same experiment on an ice skating rink rather than in the schoolyard, the can may still be moving when it is time to kick it again. We find that when we kick the can, it doesn't move in the direction of the kick but rather in a direction that is somewhere between the direction it was going in and the direction of the kick. The kick produces a change in the velocity of the object, and it moves in a direction that depends on both its original velocity and the change in velocity that the kick produces. Perhaps the best evidence that objects do not move in the direction of the force exerted on them comes from thinking about the motion of an Earth satellite in circular orbit around the Earth. The force the Earth exerts on the satellite is an attractive force that is directed toward the center of the Earth. If the satellite were to move in the direction of the force the Earth exerts on it, it would not stay up for very long. In SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S GAMES, students have the opportunity to explore how the change in motion produced by a force combines with the prior motion of the object to produce a new motion. Some of the game settings will be like the can in the schoolyard example where friction plays a sufficiently large role in governing the motion. Other settings will be more like the skating rink example. Still others will involve maneuvering in the vicinity of a "sun" that continually attracts everything in its surroundings toward itself. Finally, there are thoroughly idealized settings in which there are no forces to affect the motion other than the ones you exert. A concluding note: SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S GAMES is designed so that "time" stops and waits for the players' next moves. In this way, students are continually confronted with the implicit question of the consequence of their next move. In my view, it is far preferable to have "time" stop, thereby permitting students to play games with their minds rather than their muscles. Judah L Schwartz OVERVIEW SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S GAMES contains five parts designed to introduce students of all ages to the richness and the subtlety of Newtonian dynamics on the study of motion. These programs may be used effectively in fifth grade through college, in the science classroom, at home, or in special education settings. SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S GAMES adopts a hands-on approach to Newton's laws of motion. Students move a marker in a specific environment (e.g., on Earth, near the sun, or out in space), with or without friction acting upon its motion, by either kicking it or letting it coast. They actively and immediately experience the results of their actions on the object's motion. The following programs are included in SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S GAMES: TRACK - A game to practice moving a marker in different environments with or without friction inhibiting its motion. OBSTACLE COURSE - A game to use skills from TRACK to maneuver around objects. RACE - A two-person game in which students compete to finish a race first. Students may choose the environment and what forces, if any, act upon the marker. TAG - A one-person game against the computer or a two-person game in which each player chases the other. WRITE YOUR NAME - An exercise that allows students to practice the skills they have learned in other games. STOPPING THE GAME To stop a game, use Control E (hold the CTRL key down and press the "E" key). You will then return to the menu list to choose another game or you may END the session. If you END, you may use another diskette; just follow the directions on the screen. GENERAL INFORMATION In each of the games, you have to move a marker. / T j - ^ l - r R - reverse C c o a s t K k i c k 6 q u i t 0 Turns t TRACK - on Earth - in sanO To move the marker: ♦ Choose a direction in which to kick (Note: the direction is shown by an arrow in the upper right-hand corner of the screen): « press J to rotate the "arrow" counter-clockwise, press L to rotate the "arrow" clockwise, or press R to reverse the direction of the "arrow." • Choose an action: press K to kick, press C to coast. The counter in the lower right-hand corner of the screen keeps track of the number of turns you have taken. In several cases, you will find that it is possible to invent variations on the games as they are described in this manual. You should feel free to experiment and play in the way you feel most comfortable. jr*k TRACK l - r R - reverse 0 Turns Conditions: Walls are out of bounds One player External forces (on Earth, near the sun, out in space) Object: Move your marker around the track to the Finish Box. Reading Level: 3rd grade (Fry) Time Required: 3-10 minutes per game depending on skill level. Objectives: 1. To gain an intuitive understanding of the relationships among velocity, change in velocity, and applied force. 2. To gain an intuitive understanding of frictional forces. 3. To understand the effect of a force, like the sun, on an object. 4. To compare the difference in a friction-free environment (i.e. way out in space) with that of Earth. TRACK Description: This is a one-person game in which you are required to get around a track in as few moves as possible without crashing into the walls. You can choose to have a wide track or a narrow one. (Practice with the wide track first!) You can also choose what, if any, kind of external force you want to have acting on your marker as you try to move it around the track. You make this choice by playing: • on Earth, • near the sun, or • way out in space. If you choose to play on Earth, you will then be playing with frictional forces acting on your marker. You may choose to play: 1. in sand (a large amount of friction), 2. on grass (a moderate amount of friction), or 3. on ice (a small amount of friction). If you choose to play near the sun, you will be trying to move your marker around the track with the sun always pulling you toward itself. You will have to compensate for the sun's force in order to negotiate the track successfully. If you choose to play way out in space, there will be no forces on your marker other than the ones you exert on it when you kick it. To control the motion of the marker, you must first decide whether to give the marker a kick or to let the marker coast. Press C if you wish to coast. Time will then advance one unit and the marker will move subject to friction (if that condition exists in the version of the game you have chosen to play), or subject to the pull of the sun. If there are no external forces, the marker will move with the velocity it already has. If the decision is to kick, you must first determine a direction for the kick. This is done by using the J, L and R keys to move the "arrow" so that it points in the desired direction. Press K to kick the marker. Time will then advance one unit and the velocity of the marker will change under the influence of the force you have applied as well as whatever external forces are appropriate. OBSTACLE COURSE 0 • T'. □ J - "I □ l - r R - | | reverse E C coast K kick Q quit 0 Turns OBSTACLE COURSE Conditions: Walls are reflecting One player No external forces Obstacles out of bounds Object: Move around obstacles to the Finish Box (Players can make up their own rules). Reading Level: 3rd grade (Fry) Time Required: 3-10 minutes per game depending on skill level. Objective: To gain an intuitive understanding of the relationship among velocity, change in velocity, and applied force. OBSTACLE COURSE Description: Obstacle Course is a stringent test of your understanding of the relationship between force and acceleration. It is a one-person game in which you design a set of rules to reach a Finish Box (e.g., One set of rules might be to weave a course around three obstacles). In this game, there are no external forces and the outer walls are reflecting (i.e., if you hit them you will bounce off). If you hit an obstacle, the game will end. To control the motion of the marker on the screen, you must first decide whether to give the marker a Kick or to let the marker coast Press C if you wish to coast. Time will then advance one unit and the marker will move with the velocity it already has. If the decision is to kick, you must first determine a direction for the kick. This is done by using the J, L and R keys to move the "arrow" so that it points in the desired direction. After you have done so, press K to kick the marker. Time will then advance one unit and the velocity of the marker will change under the influence of the force you have applied. 8