Pinball Design - Physics

Grade 12 Practical Physics Project
Pinball Machine Design

Objective: Design a Pinball machine using springs, metal, plastic or wooden barriers and various cushioning devices. A scoring apparatus is needed. The game board should be no larger than 1m by 1m in size (can have adjuncts for scoring and a base that are not included in the board size). Outline all the physics principles involved in the game, provide a schematic for the structure of the game board, illustrate and describe all regions of significant energy transfer and design the game so that it has visual appeal.

Significant Due Dates:

2nd Monday in October: Provide a rough schematic of the design to the teacher.
3rd Monday in October: Sign up for group discussions with teacher
3rd Monday in November: Provide teacher with two page progress report.
7th January 2011: Game Testing Day and Submission of Report Documents.

Final Report Document must include:
Work Log (who did, what, when)
Description of Physics Principles Involved
Neat drawing of game schematic (preferably AUTOCAD)
Outline of all regions of energy loss. Must include one sample calculation based on reasonable assumptions.

Group Size:
No more than three people per group. No singlet groups.

Marks:

The project will count for 10% of your final grades. Even though the students will work as a team – each student will be evaluated individually (therefore it is critical that the work log reflect accurately the levels of effort).


Sample Sites to look at:

http://www.marvin3m.com/fix.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/design-your-own-pinball-machine-919500/


Marking Checklist

Game

Movability of Barriers……………………. /5
Smoothness of Impacts…………………… /3
Effectiveness of Cushioning……………….../2
Spring Release Method…………………….../2
Number of Barriers…………………………. /5
(less than 1=1, 2=3, 3=4, 5 or more = 5)
Sound Effects………………………………../3
Light Effects…………………………………/4
Scoring Mechanism Accuracy………………./5
Originality and Creativity of Design…………/6

Total: /35


Documentation:

Lead Abstract…………………………………….../2
Quality of Worklog………………………………../5
Visual Schematic…………………………………. /3
Sample Energy Calculation………………………. /3
Outline of all Physics Principles Involved
Factors to consider……………………………….. /7
Individual Reflections…………………………….../2
Overall Report (Language, grammar etc)…………../2
Bibliography………………………………………../1

Total: /25


For #4 – Please be concise. Any physics principles missed will result in mark deduction from the 8.

TOTAL MARKS: 35 + 25 = 60

Teaching Physics - A Philosophy

Its been a while since I last blogged (I seem to be saying this more often than not) so I thought I would bounce back with a few quick update. The school year is underway and I am more focused than ever in honing my teaching skills. I have three great classes this semester (all in Physics), in what can only be described as a dream timetable. However all great opportunities come with great responsibility (a twist on the Spiderman theme). My self accepted mission is to work on my student’s cognitive skills and critical thinking attributes. I wish to hone for them a deeper understanding of the physics. Physics is a philosophy but too often it is taught as a type of Applied Mathematics. Many students can’t see beyond the mathematics (which is vital tool but by no means the defining entity of the discipline) which is a shame. Fortunately there are several pedagogical instruments that can assist a teacher in this realm. These include

Building Projects – Over the years my students have built mousetraps, balloon cars, egg drop protection devices, rollercoasters, robots, Rube Goldberg machines. This year I plan to have them build either pinball machines or safe lock devices. Each of these projects has been selected for their adherence to principles of physics – conservation of energy, momentum, Newton’s laws of motion, electric fields etc. A detailed report submitted in accordance with the physical build will further expound on the physics learnt.

Self Design Labs – These are open ended labs based on student directed procedure that are undertaken to discover the relationship between a series of entities, optimize a system or study the ramifications of cause and effect

Physics Essays – Yes one can write and speculate in physics with the same enthusiasm as that shown in the humanities. The discussion of the Big Ideas especially as it relates to the historical evolution of the subject or the topics of modern physics

Some good advice.....

These are some oldies but they hold me in good stead

1. Treat others as you would want them to treat you.
2. Look for the positives before the negatives
3. Try not to take things personally
4. Act with conviction
5. Perform with best capacity
6. Expand one's sense of self
7. Appreciate the challenge
8. Don't sell yourself short
9. Think before speaking
10. Be on the alert for meaning