Engineering >> Computer Science & EngineeringBouncing Ballsby Chad Tarbutton
Submitted : Spring 2011 Many computer games, especially First-person Shooter (FPS) or sports games tend to be as realistic as possible. The computer program (the actual game code) tries to emulate the real life behavior of things by incorporating all the physical laws that govern us in real life. Any action taken by the gamer is then subject to physical laws to make it more real. For example, if a gamer shoots a gun, then the computer program has to find the projectile of the bullet and find out where it hits. Based on the realistic nature of the game, this projectile of the bullet is dependent on the force (gun and bullet type), the angle, the gravity, and the wind speed. One of the most common simulation scenarios in a computer game would be two objects colliding or one bouncing of the other. It could be ball in a FIFA video game or Major League Baseball video game or a grenade bouncing on the ground; the equations or code is usually the same. Consider simulation a bouncing ball in a computer game. Given the initial velocity and the angle thrown, the program code then has to find the trajectory of the ball based on its coefficient of restitution (COR), or bounciness. The coefficient of restitution (COR) or bounciness of an object is a fractional value representing the ratio of velocities after and before an impact. An object with a COR of 1 collides elastically, while an object with a COR < 1 collides in-elastically. For a COR = 0, the object effectively "stops" at the surface with which it collides, not bouncing at all. Related Links:
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