About

Welcome to Magnetic Mini Golf!

This program allows a player to play a version of Putt Putt with a twist: the ball behaves like a point charge in that it responds to magnetic fields. This game has two levels: regular and challenge. For the first level, the first magnetic field is placed in the lighter green region seen from the overhead view. The field is aimed into the ground (or screen). This causes the charged ball to veer in either a counterclockwise or clockwise direction depending on the direction of its approach to the field. The ball obeys the right hand rule, such that it will travel in a clockwise motion when approaching from the left and counterclockwise from the right. Level two adds a teal magnetic field in the opposite direction.

The ball's motion is also affected by friction with the green. This inhibited acceleration causes the ball to slow and eventually stop, as normal golf balls are wont to do.

The rules are simple. Putt the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible!

Players may change a few factors, the velocity of the putt, the direction of the ball, and the original ball placement, in order to accomplish this goal. The velocity is controlled by the input field, and the angle by the dial. Enter must be pressed after changing the velocity. Both of these variables, however, can also be manipulated by the hot spot on the tip of the arrow after the first shot. (I prefered that players use the panel elements at least once.)

Once the player has selected the parameters, they can press the Putt button to hit the ball. There is a reset button in case things go too awry in a particular round.

The counter in the bottom right corner keeps track of the number of strokes. Note that if the ball leaves the green, the player will incur a penalty stroke!

The acceleration of the ball is calcuated by utilizing the force equation F=qv x B, used when a point charge interacts with a magnetic field. The cross product requires the right hand rule behavior of the ball. The magnetic contribution to the acceleration in the ODE is set so that it equals q*v*B/m only when in the specific light green region. The B value is negative in the teal region, reversing the direction.

Friction is added to the acceleration calculation with simply subtracting b*v/m, where b is a friction coefficient set to .5 in this simulation. I then wrote code to prevent the ball from infinitely approaching a zero velocity. The program sets the velocity of the ball to zero when its velocity slows to less than .05. It uses this information to allow the player to putt once more.

The example programs I  looked at were working with arrays, and I was not. I found it challenging at times just to use code specific to a single ball, oddly enough.

The theta dial turned out to be the biggest time sink in proportion to its importance in the program. It's settings were challenging for me to configure.

I also had trouble letting go of the idea that every program needs a for-loop, more or less.

The events' collisions were the most challenging aspect of the programming. I  had to be much more careful with that code and felt like what I was writing was often redundant. I would remove the repeated code only to find the program had ceased to work. That was frustrating, what with my gut saying something was wrong with my setup. The coding may be clunky in places, perhaps, but I wanted to stick to the functioning game.

 

Translations

Code	Language		Translator	Run

Credits

Hannah Thigpen; Fremont Teng; Loo Kang Wee

Overview:

This document provides a briefing on the "Mini Magnetic Golf Game JavaScript Simulation Applet HTML5," an interactive resource hosted by Open Educational Resources / Open Source Physics @ Singapore. This simulation is designed as a game to teach fundamental concepts of magnetism and physics through an engaging Putt Putt-style interface. The document will outline the main features, physics principles involved, game mechanics, development challenges, and potential educational applications of this applet.

Main Themes and Important Ideas/Facts:

1. Interactive Learning Tool: The core purpose of this applet is to provide an interactive and gamified approach to learning about magnetism. The "Welcome to Magnetic Mini Golf!" introduction clearly states the intention to offer a different experience by making the ball "behave like a point charge in that it responds to magnetic fields."
2. Magnetism and the Right-Hand Rule: A central physics concept demonstrated is the interaction between a moving charged particle (the ball) and magnetic fields. The simulation explicitly mentions that the ball "obeys the right hand rule," which determines the direction of the force acting on the ball when it enters a magnetic field. The documentation explains, "the ball will travel in a clockwise motion when approaching from the left and counterclockwise from the right."
3. Two Levels of Difficulty: The game features two levels: "regular and challenge." The regular level introduces a single magnetic field, while "Level two adds a teal magnetic field in the opposite direction," increasing the complexity and requiring players to consider the interaction with multiple magnetic fields.
4. Influence of Friction: The simulation incorporates the effect of friction on the ball's motion. "The ball's motion is also affected by friction with the green. This inhibited acceleration causes the ball to slow and eventually stop..." This realistic element mirrors real-world physics and golf mechanics. The simulation also includes a mechanism to prevent the ball from infinitely approaching zero velocity by setting it to zero below a threshold.
5. Game Rules and Objectives: The rules are straightforward: "Putt the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible!" Players can adjust "the velocity of the putt, the direction of the ball, and the original ball placement" to achieve this goal. A stroke counter and penalty for leaving the green add to the game-like experience.
6. Underlying Physics Principles: The simulation is based on the fundamental force equation for a charged particle in a magnetic field: "The acceleration of the ball is calcuated by utilizing the force equation F=qv x B, used when a point charge interacts with a magnetic field." The cross product in this equation directly leads to the right-hand rule behavior. The magnetic force's contribution to acceleration is active only within the designated magnetic field regions. Friction is modeled by subtracting a term proportional to the velocity.
7. Development Challenges: The developer highlighted several challenges encountered during the creation of the applet:

• Managing code for a single ball when previous examples used arrays.
• Configuring the "theta dial" for angle adjustment, which was a significant "time sink."
• Overcoming the inclination to use for-loops unnecessarily.
• Handling "events' collisions," which required careful coding to avoid redundancy while maintaining functionality. The developer noted, "The coding may be clunky in places, perhaps, but I wanted to stick to the functioning game."

1. User Interface and Controls: Players interact with the simulation through:

• Dragging a red arrow head to adjust velocity (magnitude by size, direction by orientation).
• A "Putt" button to launch the ball.
• A "Reset" button to restart.
• Input fields and a dial for velocity and angle adjustments.
• A hot spot on the arrow tip for subsequent shot adjustments.

1. Educational Goals: While not explicitly detailed in the excerpts, the existence of the "Sample Learning Goals" section suggests that the applet is intended to help students grasp concepts related to:

• The effect of magnetic fields on moving charges.
• The application of the right-hand rule.
• The influence of friction on motion.
• Problem-solving through experimentation and parameter adjustment.

1. Embeddable Resource: The applet can be easily embedded into other web pages using an <iframe> tag, making it a convenient resource for educators and learners.
2. Part of a Larger Collection: This applet is one of many interactive resources available on the Open Educational Resources / Open Source Physics @ Singapore platform, covering a wide range of physics topics. The "Other Resources" section lists numerous related simulations on magnetism and other areas of physics.

Quotes from Original Source:

• "Welcome to Magnetic Mini Golf! This program allows a player to play a version of Putt Putt with a twist: the ball behaves like a point charge in that it responds to magnetic fields."
• "The ball obeys the right hand rule, such that it will travel in a clockwise motion when approaching from the left and counterclockwise from the right."
• "Level two adds a teal magnetic field in the opposite direction."
• "The ball's motion is also affected by friction with the green. This inhibited acceleration causes the ball to slow and eventually stop..."
• "The acceleration of the ball is calcuated by utilizing the force equation F=qv x B, used when a point charge interacts with a magnetic field."
• "Putt the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible!"
• "The theta dial turned out to be the biggest time sink in proportion to its importance in the program. It's settings were challenging for me to configure."
• "The coding may be clunky in places, perhaps, but I wanted to stick to the functioning game."

Potential Applications:

• Physics education at the secondary and introductory college levels.
• Demonstrating the principles of magnetic forces on moving charges in an engaging way.
• Providing students with an interactive environment to explore the right-hand rule.
• Illustrating the combined effects of magnetic forces and friction.
• Serving as a supplementary tool for classroom instruction or independent learning.

Conclusion:

The "Mini Magnetic Golf Game JavaScript Simulation Applet HTML5" is a valuable open educational resource that effectively combines a familiar game format with fundamental physics concepts. Its interactive nature, clear rules, and incorporation of realistic physical effects make it a potentially powerful tool for teaching and learning about magnetism. The developer's insights into the challenges faced during its creation also provide a useful perspective on the complexities of developing educational simulations.

Mini Magnetic Golf Game Study Guide

Key Concepts

• Magnetic Fields: Regions around a magnet or moving electric charge where a magnetic force is exerted. In this simulation, magnetic fields influence the motion of a charged ball.
• Point Charge: A simplified model of an electric charge concentrated at a single point in space. The golf ball in the simulation behaves like a point charge in its response to magnetic fields.
• Right Hand Rule: A convention used in physics to determine the direction of a magnetic force on a moving positive charge. If the thumb of the right hand points in the direction of the velocity and the fingers point in the direction of the magnetic field, the force on a positive charge will be in the direction of the palm.
• Friction: A force that opposes motion between surfaces in contact. In the game, friction with the green slows down the golf ball.
• Velocity: The rate of change of an object's position with respect to time, including both speed and direction. Players can adjust the initial velocity of the ball.
• Acceleration: The rate of change of an object's velocity with respect to time. In this simulation, the ball's acceleration is affected by magnetic forces and friction.
• Force Equation (F=qv x B): The fundamental equation describing the magnetic force (F) on a charged particle (q) moving with velocity (v) in a magnetic field (B). The 'x' denotes the cross product, indicating the force's direction is perpendicular to both velocity and the magnetic field.
• Cross Product: A mathematical operation on two vectors that produces a third vector perpendicular to both. In the context of magnetic force, it dictates the direction of the force based on the velocity and magnetic field directions.

Quiz

1. Describe how the magnetic fields in the Mini Magnetic Golf game affect the motion of the charged ball.
2. Explain the role of the right hand rule in determining the direction of the ball's movement when it enters a magnetic field in the simulation.
3. How does friction influence the ball's motion on the green in the Mini Magnetic Golf game? What causes the ball to eventually stop?
4. What parameters can a player change before putting the ball, and how do these changes affect the initial conditions of the ball's motion?
5. Explain the difference between the magnetic field in the regular level and the challenge level of the Mini Magnetic Golf game.
6. According to the "Physics" section, when does the magnetic contribution to the ball's acceleration equal q*v*B/m? What happens in the teal region?
7. What programming challenges did the developer face during the creation of the Mini Magnetic Golf game, specifically mentioning "theta dial" and "events' collisions"?
8. What is the primary goal of the Mini Magnetic Golf game, and how is the player's performance measured?
9. If the ball leaves the green during a putt, what is the consequence according to the rules of the game?
10. Explain how the simulation prevents the ball from infinitely approaching a zero velocity, and what happens when the ball's velocity drops below a certain threshold.

Quiz Answer Key

1. The magnetic fields exert a force on the charged ball, causing it to veer in a curved path. The direction of this veering (clockwise or counterclockwise) depends on the ball's direction of approach and the orientation of the magnetic field.
2. The right hand rule dictates the direction of the magnetic force on the positively charged ball. Approaching a downward field from the left results in a clockwise motion, while approaching from the right causes a counterclockwise motion.
3. Friction with the green acts as a resistive force, opposing the ball's motion and causing it to decelerate over time. Eventually, this friction leads to the ball slowing down and coming to a complete stop, similar to a real golf ball.
4. Players can change the initial velocity (magnitude and direction) and the original placement of the ball before taking a shot. These parameters directly influence the ball's trajectory and how it interacts with the magnetic fields and friction.
5. In the regular level, there is one magnetic field located in the lighter green region, directed into the ground. The challenge level adds a second magnetic field in the teal region, oriented in the opposite direction to the first.
6. The magnetic contribution to the acceleration equals q*v*B/m only when the ball is within the specific light green region where the magnetic field is present. In the teal region, the B value is negative, which reverses the direction of the magnetic force and thus the acceleration.
7. The developer found configuring the settings for the theta dial to be particularly time-consuming. Additionally, managing the events' collisions in the code proved challenging, often leading to redundant code that was difficult to simplify without breaking the program's functionality.
8. The primary goal of the game is to putt the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible. The player's performance is tracked by a counter in the bottom right corner that records the number of strokes taken.
9. If the ball rolls or is putted off the green, the player is penalized with an additional stroke added to their score. This rule encourages players to keep their shots within the designated playing area.
10. To prevent the ball from infinitely approaching zero velocity due to the friction calculation, the program sets the ball's velocity to zero when it slows to less than 0.05. This allows the player to take another putt, simulating the ball coming to a complete stop.

Essay Format Questions

1. Discuss the interplay between magnetic forces and friction in the Mini Magnetic Golf game. How do these two forces simultaneously affect the motion of the charged golf ball, and what strategies might a player employ to navigate this interaction effectively?
2. Analyze the pedagogical value of the Mini Magnetic Golf simulation as a tool for teaching fundamental physics concepts such as magnetic fields, forces on moving charges, and the right hand rule. How does the game format enhance or hinder the understanding of these principles?
3. Evaluate the developer's reflections on the challenges encountered during the creation of the Mini Magnetic Golf game. What insights do these challenges offer into the process of developing physics simulations and interactive learning tools?
4. Compare and contrast the gameplay strategies required for the regular and challenge levels of the Mini Magnetic Golf game. How does the introduction of a second magnetic field with an opposite orientation alter the player's approach to putting the ball?
5. Considering the provided description of the simulation, brainstorm potential modifications or expansions that could be added to the Mini Magnetic Golf game to further enhance its educational value or gameplay complexity. Justify your suggestions based on the physics principles involved or potential for increased engagement.

Glossary of Key Terms

• Applet: A small application, often written in Java or JavaScript, designed to run within another application, typically a web browser.
• HTML5: The latest evolution of the standard defining the structure and content of the World Wide Web, enabling multimedia and interactive elements without the need for plugins.
• JavaScript: A high-level, often just-in-time compiled language that conforms to the ECMAScript specification. It is a programming language that makes web pages interactive.
• Simulation: A computer program that models a real-world system or phenomenon, allowing users to interact with it and observe the outcomes of different inputs or conditions.
• Open Educational Resources (OER): Teaching, learning, and research materials that are freely available and can be used, adapted, and shared without cost or permission barriers.
• Open Source Physics (OSP): A project focused on creating and disseminating computational tools and resources for physics education, often making source code freely available.
• ODE (Ordinary Differential Equation): A differential equation containing one or more functions of one independent variable and its derivatives. These are often used to model how systems change over time, such as the motion of the ball in the simulation.
• Theta Dial: A user interface element, likely a rotary control, used to adjust a specific parameter in the simulation, in this case, likely the angle of the initial putt.
• Events' Collisions: In programming interactive simulations, this refers to the code that handles what happens when different elements within the simulation interact or "collide," such as the ball reaching the hole or the boundaries of the green.

 

Sample Learning Goals

[text]

For Teachers

Mini Magnetic Golf Game JavaScript Simulation Applet HTML5

Instructions

Goal of the Game

Directions

Putt

Toggling Full Screen

Reset Button

Research

[text]

Video

[text]

 Version:

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Frequently Asked Questions: Magnetic Mini Golf Simulation

What is the main objective of the Magnetic Mini Golf game?

The primary goal of Magnetic Mini Golf is to putt a ball into a hole in as few strokes as possible. The unique aspect of this game is that the ball behaves like a point charge and is affected by magnetic fields placed on the green.

How does the magnetic field influence the ball's movement?

The ball's motion is governed by the force equation F=qv x B, where 'q' is the charge (in this simulation, treated as a point charge), 'v' is the velocity of the ball, and 'B' is the magnetic field. According to the right-hand rule, the ball will experience a force perpendicular to both its velocity and the magnetic field. In the game, the first magnetic field (in the lighter green region) is directed into the ground, causing the ball to veer clockwise when approaching from the left and counterclockwise when approaching from the right. The challenge level introduces a second magnetic field (teal region) with the opposite direction, further altering the ball's trajectory.

Besides magnetism, what other physical factors affect the ball's motion?

In addition to the magnetic forces, the ball's movement is also affected by friction with the green surface. This friction acts as a retarding force, causing the ball to decelerate and eventually come to a stop, similar to a real golf ball. The simulation models friction by subtracting a term proportional to the ball's velocity from its acceleration.

How can players control the ball's initial putt?

Players have several controls at their disposal for the initial shot. They can adjust the velocity of the putt using an input field (requiring pressing 'Enter' to apply the change), the direction of the ball using a dial, and the initial placement of the ball. After the first shot, the velocity and angle can also be manipulated using a hotspot on the tip of an arrow displayed on the screen.

What are the rules and scoring in Magnetic Mini Golf?

The rules are straightforward: get the ball into the hole using the fewest possible putts. A stroke counter in the bottom right corner tracks the number of attempts. Players incur a penalty stroke if the ball leaves the green. A reset button is available to restart a round if needed.

What physics principles are implemented in the simulation?

The simulation incorporates the principles of electromagnetism, specifically the force on a moving point charge in a magnetic field (Lorentz force). The cross product in the force equation necessitates the application of the right-hand rule for determining the direction of the magnetic force. The simulation also models frictional forces, which are velocity-dependent and cause the ball to slow down. The program uses these physical principles to calculate the ball's acceleration and subsequent motion.

What were some of the challenges encountered during the development of this simulation?

The developer faced several challenges during the creation of the Magnetic Mini Golf applet. These included adapting code designed for arrays to work with a single ball, configuring the theta dial for angle input, overcoming the tendency to overuse for-loops, and managing event collisions in the code, which required careful and sometimes seemingly redundant coding to ensure proper functionality.

What are some of the educational benefits of this simulation?

This simulation provides an interactive and engaging way to learn about the effects of magnetic fields on moving charged particles and the concept of friction. By manipulating the initial conditions and observing the ball's trajectory, players can develop an intuitive understanding of the right-hand rule and how magnetic forces can be used to control motion. The game-like format can make learning these physics concepts more accessible and enjoyable, aligning with the goals of open educational resources.