Teaching Physics Using Minecarts

[jgl...@elinemedia.com]

I want to create a world/map in MinecraftEdu that uses minecarts and rail systems to teach students the basics of physics. I've created a few lessons so far, but they're all rather brief and not very interactive. They include:

• Weight and Momentum - Two minecarts, one empty and one with a "heavy" load (Minecart with Chest), are launched down parallel rails at the same speed when a student presses a button. The "light" cart stops first because it has less momentum, while the heavier one keeps going.
• Terminal Velocity - A minecart sent through five powered rails goes the same speed and distance as one sent though ten (or more!) powered rails, because the maximum achievable speed is the same no matter how much acceleration is applied (sending them down a large hill would be more "accurate", but this takes up way less real estate).
• Transfer of Momentum - A full speed minecart hitting a stationary minecart vs. hitting two in a row vs. hitting three...
• Precision Challenge -  Given a limited number of rails and powered rails, get a minecart going fast enough to climb a hill, but not so fast it falls off the other side.
• Momentum Challenge - Given a limited number of powered rails, get a minecart all the way through a complex rail system with hills, turns, and drops.
• Launching Challenge - Given a limited number of materials (rails, powered rails, building blocks, etc.) and space to build, create a rail system that'll launch a minecart the furthest through the air (MinecraftEdu's Spawn Blocks, with their small checker pattern, makes it really easy to judge distances shorter than an in-game block).

At the moment, the biggest challenges I've been facing with this project are:

• Minecraft Physics - Minecraft has some... odd physics (all blocks can float!... except sand and gravel, for some reason), and the in-game minecarts are no exception. While this can be used as a lesson in and of itself ("How do the physics in Minecraft compare to what we can observe in the real world?"), it also makes building appropriate lessons in-game rather hard.
• Student Meddling - Letting the students interact and participate in challenges is important. However, at the same time, it's very easy for students to "cheat" the assignments when the teacher isn't looking. For example, in the Momentum Challenge, the student could just forgo laying down powered rails and instead hop in the minecart and push it to the goal by themselves.
• Building/Destroying - Students need to be able to place blocks in order to set down rails and minecarts. However, there needs to be a way to prevent the students from just tearing down the entire rail system and running off with the raw materials. And Notch help us all if they manage to send a Minecart with TNT down the rails...

Does anyone have any suggestions on other lessons/examples/challenges I should include, or ideas for how to overcome the issues I've faced in this project?

[MisterA]

Hey J,

I did a project this year utilizing Minecrafts and rails to develop a Roller Coaster. I agree that the physics in the game are not "real" and that can be an issue...if you let it.

I took this concept and looked at it from a different angle. Instead of having the students focus on "real" physics and why Minecraft isn't real, I had them focus on experiencing...and testing...and experimenting to discover the physics within Minecraft. Giving the students an opportunity to learn not just physics, but how to "learn" turned out far better than I had expected.

The other thing I would mention is, instead of having the kids run pre-made experiments...have them design the experiments from scratch and see what comes out. The learning and reflections that they accomplish will last far more longer and will set them up for learning in any sort of environment.

As for your challenges:

1. Yes it does...and that is okay. Teach them how to determine that difference, instead of focusing on the differences. After all, it is a game.

2. Students that are invested in the build, are less likely to destroy a build. See my point above about having them design experiments.

3. Um...turn off tnt in the teacher menu?

Hope that helps.

MisterA