Twisted Forces
Beth Kappus, Frank Gulla, and the MathScience Innovation Center
Physical Science Team.
Developed with funding from the MathScience Innovation Center
Major
Understanding
When two objects interact they exert forces on each other that may affect the
motion of the objects. The effect of different forces on an object’s motion can
be observed using both a hand-held pinball game and a hand-held video golf
game. A gyroscope in the video game is used to sense motion caused by the
transfer of energy from the player to the game cartridge.
Grade/Subject
Grade 4; Energy and Motion, Physical Science.
Objectives
Investigate force and motion using a handheld pinball game.
Investigate Newton’s laws of motion using the Nintendo® Game Boy®
Advance SP system and WarioWare™ Twisted Game cartridge.
Observe forces that change the motion of objects.
Identify energy transformations and the energy of motion
Identify applications of this technology in everyday things.
Collect and display experiment data in graph form
Time
Anticipatory Set
Activity: Mechanical Pinball
Activity: Mega Micro Golf Play
Practice
Closure
Assessments
Materials
For the class:
Projector
Computer
Power Point
1 Gyroscope
Toy golf set
Graph
10 min
10 min
25 min
variable
5 min
variable
For each pair of students:
1 Game Boy® Advance SP
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1 WarioWare™ Twisted cartridge
1 mechanical pinball game
1 sticky note
State and National
Correlations
Virginia Standards of Learning: Science (4.1; 4.2); Math (4.20)
National Science Education Standards: Position and Motion of Objects
Instructional
Strategies
1. Anticipatory Set
1.1 Demonstrate and start a large mechanical gyroscope. Identify the
rotational motion of the gyroscope. Discuss the forces acting on it, how it
can be moving while remaining balanced on the point and what force acts
on it to make it fall. Balance occurs when forces are equal. Discuss force –
push and pull, motion, and kinetic energy. Evaluate the students’ previous
knowledge on force and allow them to provide examples of motion when
two objects interact.
1.2. Observe Newton’s three laws of motion from the Power Point and how
it relates to our every day lives.
2. Activity: Mechanical Pinball
2.1. Introduce the hand-held pinball game. Instruct the students to move
the game so that some of the balls come to rest in the holes. Question the
students about what they had to do to get the balls to go in the holes
(pulling on the stick makes the balls move) and what happens to the balls
when they hit each other (tilting, moving, and rocking the game makes the
balls bounce off each other and change direction). State that force must be
added to make the balls move. Question the students on the best position
for the game (horizontal or vertical).
2.2. Discuss the science in the pinball game. (More or less force is required
to get the balls to move; how our mechanical energy; i.e. our movement; is
making the ball move). Identify constants, manipulated variable and
responding variables.
3. Activity: Mega Micro Golf
3.1. Introduce the Game Boy® Advance SP; discuss its features and how it
is used. It is best to go through all the directions, before the games are
handed out, using the Power Point slides. Remind the students to hold the
GBA (Game Boy® Advance) level, similar to how the mechanical game
was held. Instruct the students not to remove the cartridge. Caution them
that if they move the GBA too much the game will freeze and it will have
to be shut down to restart.
3.2. Introduce the WarioWare™ Twisted cartridge and state that the game
boy will be used in the same way the pinball game was used to observe
how the motion of an object can change with force. Identify the gyroscope
in the cartridge. Caution the students to keep both hands on the GBA at all
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times.
3.3. Guide students through the use of the game, completing the first hole
together as a class. Note with the students the game instructions on the
correct way to move the GBA. Press the start button to move into the
“modes” section. Caution the students against selecting the options
section (this will erase the game memory). Then move the GBA to select
“souvenirs” and press the A button. Move the GBA again to select “games”
and press the A button. Move the GBA again to select the golf game and
press the A button. Instruct students to observe the golf game before play.
The game will show the complete hole before allowing play to begin.
Instruct the students to set down the GBA for a few minutes and question
the students about the motion of the ball. Ask the students to formulate a
hypothesis about the motion of the ball into the hole (If the student moves
with more force to hit the ball, the ball will have more energy to go past
the hills and get closer to the hole. More force gets the ball closer to the
hole, requiring fewer shots by the student, resulting in a better score.)
3.4. Allow the students to begin playing, taking turns with their partner.
There are five holes to complete the game. Instruct the students to enter
total scores on the sticky note and transfer to (teacher can enter scores)
spreadsheet. To end the game, press the start button and move the GBA to
select exit and press the A button. Use the B Button to go back to “modes
section”. Turn off the power switch and leave the cartridge in the GBA.
Evaluate resulting graph with the class. A lower score means that the
students have taken fewer shots to complete the game. This means that the
students have appropriately adjusted their force on the ball. The lower
score is the better one.
3.5. Discuss how the game cartridge has a piezoelectric gyroscope inside.
Our mechanical energy (motion) is sensed by the gyroscope which converts
it to electrical energy for the computer to sense. Students can feel the
gyroscope operate while they play the game if the GBA is moved properly.
The piezoelectric gyroscope is a little like the inside of our ears where there
are cells that detect fluids moving in canals that send electrical pulses to
our brain telling us which way we are moving. If we spin around too fast
our brain senses this, we get dizzy, and fall down (this is the picture that
the game shows as the wrong way to move the GBA).
Practice
1. Homework: Have students select a toy at home. The students will describe
how Newton’s three laws of motion affect the motion of the toy. Does this
toy convert one form of energy to another?
Closure
Review Newton’s Laws of Motion. Use the toy golf set to illustrate the three
laws of motion. Discuss the applications of this gyroscopic device (digital
camera image stabilizing feature, Segway scooter, radio controlled cars, watch
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that uses an “ecodrive” instead of a battery). Review the United Streaming
force video clip. The students may have questions about the Nintendo WII. It
uses the piezoelectric gyroscopes and three accelerometers in its motion.
Extensions
1. The Effect of Spin: Tie a crayon to one end of a piece of string. Slip the
other end through the hole in a CD. Hold the loose end of the string and let
the CD hang free at the other end. Gently swing it back and forth. Observe
the disk carefully. Then, give the disc a good spin. As it is spinning swing
the string back and forth. Observe the disc this time and compare your
observations when the disc was not spinning.
2. Experiment with Friction: Have the students practice flicking a CD with
their finger so it slides across a smooth surface. Investigate how the CD
will slide across different surfaces using the same force and measure with a
ruler. Have the students predict what will happen if a rubber band is put
around the CD. Experiment again. Discuss the affect of friction on the
experiments.
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Assessment
Sample items are provided for use in checking students’ understanding.
Paper Pencil Test: Twisted Forces
Product and Rubric: Twisted Forces
The following table shows how the assessment items are related to specific
objectives.
Objective
Investigate force and motion using handheld
“pinball’ game.
5
Investigate Newton’s laws of motion using
the Nintendo® Game Boy® Advance SP
system and WarioWare™ Twisted Game
cartridge.
7,8
Observe forces that change the motion of
objects.
Identify energy transformations and the
energy of motion
Identify applications of this technology in
everyday things.
Collect and display experiment data in graph
form
Major Understanding: When two objects
interact they exert forces on each other that
may affect the motion of the objects. The
effect of different forces on an object’s
motion can be observed using both a handheld pinball game and a hand-held video golf
game. A gyroscope in the video game is used
to sense motion caused by the transfer of
energy from the player to the game cartridge.
Twisted Forces
PaperPencil
Test
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Project/
Performance
2,5,7,8
1,2
6
3,4
Product and
Rubric
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Teaching Tips
1. Some tips about the materials used in this lesson:
1.1 Make sure the GBA is charged. Three hours are required for a full
charge. Remind the students to handle the GBA gently. Be sure to insert
cartridge all the way and then turn on GBA. You may wish to have the
students turn off the volume. Use the start button and the A button to skip
or move through the areas of the games. The B button is used to go back.
If the cartridge asks to be calibrated, keep from moving it for that period of
time. Instruct the students when the GBA is turned on to skip the intro with
the start button. When you reach Modes, move the GBA to select
souvenirs with the A button. Move the GBA to select Games with the A
button. Move the GBA to select the golf game with the A button. A button
also selects start on the golf game. When time for game play is over, push
the start button and move the GBA to select exit with the A button. Then
use the B button to go back to Modes. Turn off the GBA before the
cartridge is removed. Caution: Do not select the options section; it will
delete the game memory.
1.2 Mechanical energy is the energy of moving objects, large or small likeatoms. Electrical energy is moving electrons. Energy is defined as the
ability to do work and can be converted from one form to another. All
energy can be considered as potential or kinetic. Kinetic energy is the
energy possessed by moving object and potential energy is stored energy in
an object because of its position or parts arrangement.
1.3 Balance organs in the ear are called the vestibular system.
2. Supply sources for this lesson:
The WarioWare Twisted cartridge is available on line at www.amazon.com
or in local EBGames stores. The Game Boy Advance SP is available
locally at Target or Best Buy. Other supplies used in this lesson can be
purchased at Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart or Target.
3. What are the answers to the Paper/Pencil test?
1. B, 2. B, 3. team 3, 4. team 5, 5. D, 6. Pictures, 7. Law of inertia, 8. Law
of reaction.
References
MathScience Innovation Center
Information on educational programs available to students, teachers and school
divisions and procedures for registering for programs.
http://msinnovation.info
MathScience Innovation Center: On-Line Educational Programs
Learn through on-line virtual classrooms, web-based lessons and on-line
courses. Access proven lesson plans and instructional modules.
http://mathinscience.info
Planet Science
Click on “wired” and play online arcade games developed by the UK’s
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National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.
www.scienceyear.com
Zona Land ( an approved SciLink of NSTA)
Explanations for Newton’s Three laws of Motion and problems using them.
http://id.mind.net/~zona/mstm/physics/mechanics/forces/newton/newton.html
Twisted Forces
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