thanks for response and additional suggestions, Gary and Asaf (and screenshots are very useful) I'll create a worksheet for my class and post the link when done - thinking that I'll organise it into a basic, harder and advanced sections
Caroline there are already great ideas for lessons and screenshots on the physics page (added to my worksheet) http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Activities/Physics other ideas from me: make a see saw keep moving for as long as possible without using grab for advanced students tony forster has suggested hacking physics to alter densities etc. http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Modifying_Activities#Modifying_Physics Gary, would it be a good idea to link to that page from the Physics page - it took me a while to find it again > We have a future Physics feature to expose the material properties, likely a simple list of material pre-sets (something like "helium" "wood", "rubber", "steel", "lead") is water possible? that would fit nicely with density experiments how hard would it be to have a feature where mass is measured and / or displayed on the object? cheers On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 4:59 AM, Gary C Martin <g...@garycmartin.com> wrote: > Hi Bill, > > Not sure if you wanted answers :-) > > On 15 Aug 2009, at 02:51, Bill Kerr wrote: > > I might try these next week and see how they go: >> >> does altering the size of an object affect its drop time? >> > > No > > does joining objects together (large and small) affect drop time? >> > > No > > Remember, you can run all cases at once! Just pause the simulation. Add a > box right across the horizontal middle of screen. Pin it at left and right > edge so it's fixed. Then across top half of screen add a large sphere, a > small sphere, a couple of linked objects. Play the simulation so all shapes > land on the horizontal pinned box. Pause simulation again, and delete the > horizontal pinned box. Now you're all set up, shapes all aligned up for > their race to the ground :-) Play! > > does altering the length of a pendulum affect its swing time? >> > > Yes. > > For more advanced, you might like to try a 'split pendulum', and get to see > a slow and fast swing in one cycle (some thing like the attached image works > fine). > > > > > before doing the above say what you think will happen >> after doing the above say whether you think the physics program reflects >> real world behaviour >> (possibility of follow up real world experiments here) >> > > "possibility of follow up real world experiments here" nice :-) +1 > > FWIW: Newton's cradle type set-ups don't work quite as expected (you end up > with an oscillation of half the balls each time), I think this might be down > to the default material properties we are currently using for all shapes. We > have a future Physics feature to expose the material properties, likely a > simple list of material pre-sets (something like "helium" "wood", "rubber", > "steel", "lead"). > > design a catapult system to accurately hit >> (a) stationary distant target (b) moving target (c) close target >> >> build a complex or elegant building that doesn't fall down >> > > A nice one here for a challenge is to restrict the design to only use > circles with links. Try for an Eiffel Tower like shape. It is "World of Goo" > all over again ;-) > > http://2dboy.com/games.php > > other ideas along these lines? >> > > General miscellaneous tips: > > - Pretty fundamental is the need to pause the simulation when constructing > more complicated structures (unless you make that the challenge, build an X > without pausing the simulation). > > - While paused, use shapes to help as 'construction templates' to help > place new things accurately (they can overlap), then delete the template > shape before resuming the simulation. > > extra features I would like to see in physics: >> copy shapes >> > > Not on our feature list, will have a think how practical this would be to > actually implement. > > move them while in setup mode >> > > Been requested before already. Might be hard to implement. Don't think we > have control over this in Physics, likely something down stream in either > Elements, or Box2D (or all 3!). > > a timer >> > > My call on this is related to another possible future feature. Object > trails would be very useful (daub a blob of paint on a shape and watch it > leave a trail on screen). This 'paint daub' could be set to pulse to a > timer, then you could just count the trail marks. > > Sound would also be great, set a specific shape to make a custom sound on > any collision, set a shape to play a sound based on it's velocity (or > rotation). I'd likely suggest we avoid sound until Sugar (well the various > distros) have reliable stable sound (right now it seems a real mess). > > icons: >> I think it would be better if the polygon icon looked like an irregular >> shape rather than a regular hexagon >> > > Have this feature request already, you should get it in the next release > :-) > > btw if there was a regular hexagon then you could use it to do some work >> with tessellations in setup mode using the triangle, square, hexagon - if >> you had the move feature in setup mode >> eg. make a tessellation in setup mode and then support it so it doesn't >> fall apart under gravity >> > > Not planning on this, but will keep it on a possible feature list. > > Thanks for all the great feedback so far!! > > Regards, > --Gary >
_______________________________________________ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep