Finger Physics
Cute and challenging physics puzzler teaches gravity
Subjects & Topics
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Finger Physics
Pros: Engaging graphics and varied gameplay keep kids wanting more.
Cons: Organization and icons are confusing, and gameplay is not always clear.
Bottom Line: The variety of puzzles makes some tricky navigation and gameplay worth the download.
Although navigation is a bit tricky, teachers could use this engaging game to give kids a primer on how objects attract one another. It touches on physics, magnetism, rotation, and buoyancy.
Finger Physics teaches gravity as kids stack blocks, guide falling eggs, and attach magnetic blocks to stabilize constructions.
In Egg mode, kids tap on dotted white blocks to make them disappear and allow the egg to fall. Geared Blocks mode introduces rotation, and gravity can flow upward in Gravity Blocks mode. In Lunar mode, kids drag and drop shapes to build the tallest structures they can. Kids can take challenges sequentially or hop to any unlocked challenge.
Ten help pages with decent diagrams but small text explain most but not all gameplay concepts of ten modes of play. If kids get frustrated, the Touch Me button on the main menu links to short YouTube videos of solutions for particularly tricky challenges. Kids can download level packs for $1 or get one for free with the download of a featured app.
Through interactive games, kids learn about gravity, momentum, and timing. They try different approaches through trial and error, one way to build knowledge. Each challenge takes into account how long it takes to solve it, and construction-based modes have a five-second stability counter -- but this data isn't saved, so cumulative learning is hard to chart. Success is rewarded with bronze, silver, and gold stars displayed on the main menu, but really, the satisfaction of making a stable construction or perfectly guiding an egg is enough to keep anyone coming back.
On the downside, menu load time is slow, icons are vague, and menu text and organization is a bit confusing.
Learning Rating
Interactive problem solving
The Finger Physics app is a great app for increasing a student's willingness to solve complex problems. The app requires students to build structures with various two dimensional shapes and have that structure be stable for a period of time. This app is wonderful for the sheer fun of it, but can also be capitalized on to increase a student's persistence with an activity. The free app has a nice selection of levels, while there is also a paid app at $2.99 in the Apple app store.
Students could be asked to screenshot their structure and explain why/how the structure was stable and describe how they their process changes from one situation to the next. In addition, students could have another student record their actions and voice as they record their thought process in a think aloud.