Congratulations to our 2023 winner, Anika from Avanti Fields School. Anika created a board game to demonstrate how physics powers her passion for car games. Take a look at her entry and cover letter:
Physics. Board games. Cars. The question: How does physics power your passion? The answer: well I love to play Car games as it mostly defys the laws on the road, so it got me thinking. Does it defy the laws of physics? Newton’s third law of motion is very closely related to the motion of a car (Assuming you are driving on the road) As the wheels of the car spin backwards, they push the road backwards. In consequence, the road pushes the wheels forward according to the third law of motion. Now lets think about the physics behind cars in video games. The pressure applied to the joystick/ buttons on the controller determines the speed of the car – pressure = force/ area. To demonstrate this I have made a board game showcasing the laws of physics on a racetrack. In this board game it includes question cards that you occasionally have to pick up. These cards include the subjects: speed, distance, time and velocity. Furthermore, there are physical obstacles to encounter along the way these include; The blind decision-making, the quick thinking and the hypothesis that both a racer and a scientist do in their day to day lives.


