Projectile

mathematics of Angry Birds game

Many people nowadays own like one or two of Apple's sophisticated gadgets such as iPad, iPhone, iPod and other electronic devices that can be installed with games. One example is the Angry Birds game. 

When I was in college, engineering mathematics and physics were some of the considered most difficult subjects yet exciting to learn. These consist a topic about projectile motion, which is a method on how to calculate to get an accurate hit on a certain target. It is just a function of gravity and velocity. The two big ideas of projectile motion: the horizontal component of motion is constant velocity, while the vertical component is constant acceleration. At every tick, decrease the vertical velocity byg (the force of gravity), and then add g to the current height. For a more in depth look at the physics required in these sorts of games, we can Google around for some game development blogs or how-to's.

Angry Birds had not been around when I was completing my high school and college degree and let us not consider the game as a hate crime against hogs, or an avian anger management program—instead, think of it as a computer interactive application to explore projectile motion and force diagrams. To those playing it now, have tried completing all levels to addiction and or are now planning of trying it, it's should know that your learning physics along the way. But it's just that not explained in figures and numbers like a class-room discussion. 

Launching a bird? No! They are varying the initial angles and velocities to hit a target distance. Take advantage of student interest with the following strategies to help you integrate Angry Birds into your instruction.

Before Pythagoras, it is the equation, even comes into the discussion, we were asked by our professors to describe projectile motions that they see in our everyday lives. Focus on the big picture question: What are the different factors that determine the range of a projectile? Projectile motion problems can easily become algebra problems that focus on identifying the right number in a diagram and substituting it into the correct equation. (look at the photo above)

And then there is Angry Birds. The game actually helps the instruction by outlining the bird’s path with dots that are placed at the same time interval, as well as leaving these trajectory paths visible for the next turn. This allows for an overlap and visual comparison of bird trajectories that have different initial angles and velocities. The goal here is not to try and knock down the structures and take out the pigs, but to use the game platform as a demonstration tool that will get their attention, and to see the flying birds as your projectiles. 

Using Angry Birds, you can highlight many of the main points about projectile motion. Things like:

• How do you get a bird to travel the farthest? Answer, 45-degree initial launch angle.
• Can you find multiple launch angles that will land on the same spot? Answer, there are two per spot, and they are complementary angles.
• What happens when you launch birds at the same angle but change the initial velocity?
• What happens when you launch birds at the same velocity but change the initial angle?
• What launch angles have the longest time in flight? The shortest?

The best levels to use for teaching projectile motion meet these criteria: good open field and no high structures to get in the way of the flight, use of the basic red birds, and having many birds to play with.