Can a Video Game Teach You Electrostatics Through Gameplay?

[keenPenguin]

Hey guys,

I am working on a video game which is based on electrostatics. You play a charged sphere and you can change its charge to interact with other charged objects, sticking to walls and ceilings and orbiting around other charges etc.

I am curious what you think of the concept, and which aspects of electrostatics / electromagnetism, or other branches of physics, you would like to see in it.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

That looks very cool! What are you using the develop it? When is the demo out? :)

 

[dipole]

You should include dipoles! Rather than just have a point charge as your "character", you should add the ability to increase your dipole moment, or even higher order moments. Would be very interesting to watch a point-quadrupole interacting with stuff.

 

[keenPenguin]

Guys, thanks for the replies!

Greg, I am using Unity 3D to develop it, but I'm not sure yet when I am comfortable (i.e. sufficiently bug-free) to put out a demo.

Dipole recommending dipoles. Haha, I liked it! Dipoles (or multipoles) are interesting and have crossed my mind but I have not yet found a good way to include them as gameplay elements. I am also thinking about giving the player (temporarily) a charge gradient, so that it when it is charged (by the player) it should experience both forces and torques and both be accelerated and aligned in a field. As soon as I'll figure out how to use that for puzzles I'd be happy to include something like that.

 

[Ravi Mohan]

How about incorporating special relativity? Moving charge (density) producing electromagnetic field.