The Cartoon Guide to Physics is divided into four areas: Lucy's World, where Lucy presents topics covering everything from motion to Newton's Third Law; the Workshop, which challenges aspiring physicists to try out their knowledge with hands-on experiments; the Hall of Fame, where users can read about 12 contributors to the physics world; and the Glossary, which defines over 100 terms. Icons representing each of the four areas appear in the corners of every screen.
Selecting the icon in the upper right corner takes the student to Lucy's World. Here, he or she can choose from eleven topics, such as, The Apple and the Moon, Satellite Motion & Weightlessness, or Momentum & Impulse. Each topic, presented with a combination of live video and cartoon animation, is hosted by Lucy and her cartoon sidekick, Ringo. At any point, students can stop, replay, or skip through the presentation.
Unfortunately, the controls to move forward and backward in a presentation give very little indication how far the student has gone. What the title needs is a feature that allows students to scan the presentation while fast forwarding or rewinding. Lucy does a good job of explaining some potentially confusing topics, but students should not expect her to hide the technical aspects of physics; they need to feel comfortable with formulas and algebra.
If, during a presentation one of the other areas has related information, the title displays a small flag in the corner next to that area's icon. Selecting the flag will take the user to the information, such as the definition of a term or a relevant experiment. Be careful: If students select the icon instead of the flag they will find themselves viewing the introduction for that area, rather than the related information. They must exercise the same caution when returning to Lucy's World or they will end up at the list of topics, instead of their original lesson.
Students needing a break can visit the Workshop, where Ringo serves as the subject of experiments dealing with projectiles, inertia, collisions, acceleration, and potential and kinetic energy. Each activity allows students to explore different results as they change variables affecting the experiment. For example, they can see how changes in angle and velocity affect Ringo's path when they launch him from a cannon as they try to shoot him across a lake (good thing he is a tireless swimmer). Each activity begins with a narrated description of the experiment and its goals. Those wanting further information can open a window with a review of the concepts involved and any relevant formulas. Another window summarizes the results of the experiment in graphical or mathematical form. Users can even save the current experiment or retrieve an earlier trial.
Throughout history, certain people have stood out as key contributors to the science of physics. The Cartoon Guide to Physics recognizes some of them by including their biographies in the Hall of Fame. The entries cover ancient philosophers to modern physicists and include a timeline of each scientist's life along with an overview of his contributions. The information in the Hall of Fame is interesting but fairly brief. A list of additional references would be handy.
The final area is the Glossary, which contains definitions to over 100 physics terms. The definitions, which can be viewed by topic or alphabetical order, include cross-references to related words. Skipping to the word is as simple as clicking on the cross-reference.
If this title has any flaws, it is the user interface, which tends to be nonintuitive and obscure in places. Some of the controls, like a picture of an owl or a flag, give the user little clue to their function. A user must review the manual and help to discover their meaning. Other controls, drawn using the same style as the background, do not stand out enough for users to realize they are controls. These problems should not dissuade anyone from purchasing this title, but they do add an edge of frustration to an otherwise outstanding program.
The Cartoon Guide to Physics succeeds in making the topic of physics more fun and more approachable. Even if physics class was a breeze, parents owe it to their kids to check out this title. Their kids might just find out physics can be phun.
Dustin Kassman writes and reviews software in Corvallis, OR.
©1996, ProMotion, inc.