A cardboard arcade game is a fun school project that turns simple craft materials into a working game with rules, points, and moving parts. You can build a launcher, targets, ramps, and score slots using cardboard, rubber bands, straws, tape, and craft sticks. This project matters because it combines creativity with physics, engineering, measurement, and problem solving.
A well designed game lets players test skill while also showing how forces and motion work.
Key Facts
- Force changes the motion of the ball: F = ma.
- A stretched rubber band stores elastic potential energy: E = 1/2kx^2.
- A rolling ball has kinetic energy: KE = 1/2mv^2.
- A ramp changes gravitational potential energy into motion: PE = mgh.
- A lever can make a target move when a player presses one end: effort x effort arm = load x load arm.
- A fair scoring system gives the same point value every time a ball lands in the same slot.
Vocabulary
- Prototype
- A prototype is an early test version of a design that helps you find and fix problems.
- Launcher
- A launcher is a device that applies a force to send the ball into the game.
- Elastic Potential Energy
- Elastic potential energy is stored energy in a stretched or compressed object, such as a rubber band.
- Friction
- Friction is a force that resists motion when surfaces rub against each other.
- Scoring System
- A scoring system is a set of rules that assigns points based on where the ball lands or what it hits.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Making the launcher too strong, which is wrong because the ball may fly over the targets instead of staying in the play area. Test with small pulls first, then adjust the rubber band tension.
- Cutting score slots before measuring the ball, which is wrong because the ball may get stuck or fall through too easily. Make each slot slightly wider than the ball and test it several times.
- Using weak joints for moving targets, which is wrong because loose parts can bend, wobble, or break during play. Reinforce hinges and pivot points with extra cardboard, tape, or paper fasteners.
- Forgetting to label point values, which is wrong because players cannot score the game consistently. Write clear numbers near each slot and make a simple score tracker.
Practice Questions
- 1 A player scores 10 points, 25 points, and 15 points in three turns. What is the total score?
- 2 A cardboard ramp is 30 cm long and rises 12 cm above the table. What is the height used in PE = mgh if the ball starts at the top of the ramp?
- 3 If the ball keeps stopping before it reaches the targets, what design changes could reduce friction or help the ball keep moving?