Exercise your brain and play Launch Ball on London’s Science Museum’s website. It is not just the typical bouncing ball where you just need to reach your goal. It has several levels with carefully-designed obstacles to be solved with basic electromagnetic principles.
Here’s an image of one of the levels Launch ball has. It is called Blown Away:
On the upper-mid part of the screen is a timer. The faster you are in finishing the obstacle, the better. On the lower left corner of the game screen, you will notice a block that has a propeller image. This is a Wind Turbine. Placing it near the fan will make it generate electricity. The black circle is the beginning; it is where the white ball comes out. The black square is the goal where the ball needs to reach. On the upper left corner of the game area are two images – a battery and a fan. The fan is placed beside the battery because it will be its main power source. The pink triangular block is an escalator.
The escalator needs to work so that the ball will be pushed up. How is that possible? With the help of the wind turbine. The wind turbine will generate electricity when placed near the fan. For the electricity to reach the escalator, it will go through the conductive copper blocks (orange blocks). So where are we going to place it? Here:
You have to click the TEST button so as to see if you have placed it on the right area.
Launchpad has many fun and mind-boggling levels. Other blocks that may be used are heat, water turbine, steam, magnet, torch, mirror, solar cell, and so on.
Check out their game by visiting http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/launchpad/launchball/
Related Articles:
