Games

18 February

Delight – a web-based board game on electricity

Seng Kwang Tan 15 DC Circuits, Games, IP4 13 DC Circuits, Javascript 0 Comments

I had previously shared about this physical board game that I designed to teach electricity concepts. Now, with ChatGPT’s help, I have managed to produce a simple implementation of the board game so that there is no need to print and cut out the pieces anymore.

However, the game is still unable to detect if the light bulb will light up and automatically change the image colour or add the scores. That will require further complex programming due to the many possible outcomes for this game.

https://physicstjc.github.io/sls/delight/index.html

The rules of the game are as such:

  1. Players will take turns to connect their own bulbs to the terminals while trying to sabotage their opponent’s bulbs.
  2. Players will take turns to place one piece on the 4-by-4 game board by clicking to select the electrical component and clicking on the square on the board to place it.
  3. Upon placing the piece, the player can also turn that piece in any orientation (by clicking on it) within the same turn.
  4. Players can choose to use up to two turns at any point in the game to rotate any piece that had been placed by any player.
  5. In other words, each player has 9 turns: 7 placement turns and 2 rotation turns.

At lower levels, students can compete to see who has the most lit bulbs. However, they will need to be able to identify which light bulbs are lit. Do watch out for short-circuits.

At higher levels, students can compete to see whose light bulbs has the most total electrical power, with some calculations involved.

12 February

Hidden Circuits Interactive

Seng Kwang Tan Games, IP4 13 DC Circuits, Simulations 0 Comments

I made this interactive tool using javascript for the teaching of DC circuits for integration with SLS as part of the IP4 Physics blended learning experience in the upcoming weeks.

The intention of this interactive is for students to do a preliminary inquiry activity to exercise what they learnt about series and parallel circuits. They can be tasked to draw out what they think the circuit diagram will be like, either on Nearpod or SLS.

Students can even notice the differences in brightness under different conditions. Questions can be designed around this as well.

Previously we used to construct little boxes with wires hidden underneath. However, due to wear and tear and with Covid-19’s safe management measures, a digital version that can be accessed via the students’ mobile devices is more suitable.

Light bulb image is adapted from Good Ware from www.flaticon.com
Switch image is adapted from Those Icons from www.flaticon.com

For a direct link to this interactive, please go to: https://www.physicslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/index.html (updated link)

To obtain the zip file for upload into SLS as an interactive media object, click here.

24 May

Javascript Game to Learn How to Count Money

Games 2 Comments

Trying to brush up my Javascript skills after being inspired by one of the senior specialists in ETD, I created this simple Javascript Game to teach kids how to count money using Singapore coins.

To play this game, click or press the “Play Button”. Click on the coins to make up the targeted amount. Be careful as the coins will move over one another.

This is meant for children entering primary one soon so that they can learn how to pay for food at the canteen.

To insert this into SLS, download the zipped file here and upload as a media object.

22 February

DeLight Version 2

15 DC Circuits, Games 0 Comments

I modified “DeLight”, the board game that I designed a few years back into a worksheet version (for small groups) as well as a powerpoint version (that teacher can facilitate as a class activity, pitting half the class against another).

Worksheet: DOWNLOAD

Slides: DOWNLOAD

The objectives of the game is to reinforce concepts related to D.C. Circuits such as:

  1. Sum of potential difference (p.d.) across parallel branches of a circuit is the same.
    $$E = V_1 + V_2 + V_3 +…$$
  2. P.d. across a device is given by the ratio of resistance of device to total resistance multiplied by emf (potential divider rule)
    $$V_1 = \dfrac{R_1}{R_{total}}\times E$$
  3. Brightness of light bulb depends on electrical power
    $$P = IV = \dfrac{V^2}{R} = I^2R$$
  4. Current can bypass a device via a short-circuiting wire.

The worksheet and powerpoint slides contain a few examples that allow discussion on the above concepts based on some possible gameplay outcomes. For example, the following is a game where the blue team wins because the p.d. across each blue light bulb is twice that of the p.d. across each red light bulb.

In the following scenario, the game ended in a draw. Students may not be able to see it immediately, but the blue light bulb with a vertical orientation is actually short-circuited by the vertical branch on its right.

Feel free to use and/or modify the game to suit your own class needs.

25 September

Who Wants to be a Base Unit?

01 Measurement, Games 0 Comments

This is a game that I play with my classes in the beginning of the course after they have attended the first lecture on base units. It serves as an ice-breaker since this is usually when I first meet them, as well as a recap of what they have learnt.

The rules are stated in the slideshow.

1. Each student is assigned a base unit out of 3 possible ones, kg, m, s. Note that the other 4 base units, A, mol, K and cd are not given because they will be covered in later topics.
2. For a class of 25, the following distribution is recommended:
    a. kg – 5
    b. m – 10
    c. s – 10
3. Students will be asked to form groups when shown a Physical Quantity. Those with a negative power, e.g. the two “seconds” in kg m s–2, will have to sit/squat down.
4. Students who did not form a group will be ousted and the last few left in the game will win prizes.

Download Measurement Game

15 August

Introducing Delight! An Educational Board Game on Current Electricity

15 DC Circuits, Featured, Games, Teaching Resources 0 Comments

Delight - Physics board game on electricity

Download Now

Creative Commons License
Delight by Tan Seng Kwang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

An educational board game for 2 or any even number of players (in 2 teams) based on the concepts of current electricity. Targeted at high school / junior college physics students, Delight is a fun way of practising the use of physics concepts such as

  1. electrical power $$P=\frac{V^2}{R}$$
  2. the potential divider rule.
  3. wires bypassing a device short-circuits it.

This game can be easily printed on A4 paper and the game pieces can be cut up for use.

Game Play

  1. This game is meant for 2 players or 2 teams of players. Each player/team has the following tiles:
    • 2 x light bulbs
    • 3 x T-shaped wires
    • 2 x crossed wires
  2. The players will take turns to place the tiles on the board.
  3. Each new tile must have at least one wire connected to an existing wire on the board.
  4. The game will end when the last tile has been placed on the board.
  5. The person with the brightest bulb will win.In the event that there is an equal number of opposing bulbs of the same brightness, it will be considered a tie. If there are three bulbs of the same brightness, the one with two of these bulbs wins.

Test Yourself: Who is the winner for the games below?

GAME 1

delightend

GAME 2

gameplay2

 

 

 

Conditions for Using this Game

  1. Anyone can print and use this game for free as long as it is for educational or personal use. Any other reproduction or republishing of this material, in hard copy or electronic form, without written permission, is prohibited.
  2. If you would like to make a suggestion or an enquiry, please leave a comment below.