There’s an exciting new game that’s causing frenzy in town! And I am pretty sure you have heard of it. It’s the battle between the angry birds and the pigs that has gotten everybody crazy! Well, here’s the sitch .The evil green pigs have stolen the precious eggs of the near extinct wingless bird species. When the birds found out that all their eggs were gone, they were enraged so they set on to have revenge to the evil pigs who took their eggs away. And that’s just what brought all the squawking and the oinking of the birds and pigs in the battlefield or the interface of the “Angry Birds” application. This is essentially how the game “Angry Birds” came into life and dominated every iPad,iPod, cellphone and PC worldwide. As a matter of fact, as you are reading this, it has already reached 7,293,165 likes on Facebook and still counting. From its release in December 2009 by Rovio Mobile, “Angry Birds” became the number one paid application in the United States, England, Singapore and many more countries (rovio.com, 2011).

The enormous global fanbase of the game could be attributed to a list of factors. To top it off is its unique and vibrant graphical user interface. The mix and match of the colors, animation and sound add up to the excitement one could feel while playing the game. This interface also allows ease in playing. Another factor that drove the game to its popularity would be its compatibility with various platforms, and by platforms I mean, for Apple Computers, iPads,iPhones, Android phones and the latest models of Nokia Phones(too bad it is not supported by Blackberry). Users of these gadgets can easily buy the game and install it as one of their applications. But the most compelling reason why people of all ages are getting hooked to “Angry Birds” would be the whole concept of the game which is not nonsense pig butchery  but an understanding of certain principles of physics that would explain how the birds are able to destroy their pig nemesis and take revenge for their stolen eggs.

But before getting down to the science of it, it would be good if everybody knows how things work first. So basically, “Angry Birds” is a puzzle game. It is classified as such because the user needs to use logic, skill and sometimes brute force to win or accomplish each level. It is played only by a single player and the player needs to pass through 120 levels to finish the entire game. In “Angry Birds”, the player directs a flock of birds that are attempting to retrieve the eggs that have been stolen from them by a group of evil green pigs. At every level, the pigs are protected by structures that are formed out of assorted materials such as wood, ice and stone. To take revenge and reclaim the eggs, the objective is to eliminate the pigs. How to do that? Well, when you actually start playing it, there’s a slingshot. You will use this slingshot to launch the angry birds one at a time to attack on the pigs. Destroying the pigs could be done either by hitting them directly with the birds or to use the birds to topple down the structures so that they will collapse and get rid off the pigs. In different stages of the game, additional weapons such as explosive crates and rocks are found in each level and maybe used in line with the birds to destroy hard to reach pigs. Also at each level, the birds and the pigs come in various forms and sizes. In the earliest level, there is the basic red bird which has no special ability. Some of the birds in the higher levels are equipped with specialized skills that can be utilized by the player as he or she launches the bird. For instance, there is this blue bird which can separate into three smaller birds while in flight. There is also a yellow bird which speeds up upon take off. The white bird on the other hand drops explosive eggs. And of course, there is the black bird that blasts off. While the birds acquire powerful skills, the pigs also evolve into more resilient types. At certain levels, the structures guarding them become stronger and much more complicated. There are also circumstances wherein they have helmets or armors that make them less vulnerable to attack by angry birds. The pigs with the crown are the strongest of the swine.

The concept of Projectile Motion is the most fundamental foundation supporting the whole concept of “Angry Birds”. Projectile Motion, by definition, is the motion of an object projected into the air at an angle. When you launch the birds through the slingshot you are actually aiming them at a certain angle for them to land or hit the pigs precisely. For a bit of historical background, it was Galileo who first studied the motion of projectiles which in the game are the angry birds. The motion of the birds follows a curved path which is called a parabola or the trajectory of the projectile. But why is it a parabola? Why don’t they move in a straight line? Galileo reasoned that a projectile is not only affected by one motion but by two. That’s right. As the angry birds are in flight they are subjected to two independent motions. As they are given initial velocity, they move forward at a constant velocity. However, since we live in a planet ruled by gravity, this downward force pulls them towards the earth at a velocity of 9.8 meters/second.  So, a bird projected horizontally will reach the ground in the same time as an object dropped vertically. Though the horizontal velocities may vary every time you launch a bird, the downward pull of gravity on it is always the same. As the bird is thrown into the air by a slingshot at a certain angle, there is an initial velocity and because of gravity, this velocity gradually decreases and by the time it reaches its highest point, it begins to fall downward sticking to the fact that projectile follow a parabolic path. Now as the birds land they actually carry a force and this force will cause the structures to topple down as they receive the impact of the force. Since the structures are somewhat like a house of cards, an impact on a certain part will generate a chain reaction on the other parts causing the whole thing to collapse and fall on the pigs. The worst fate that a pig could have is when a bird directly hits it. That’s a bull’s eye! And there you have it--a score! There are corresponding points to every pig that is killed or a part of the structure destroyed. If you were able to eliminate all the pigs without using all the birds, then the remaining birds are given extra points. But if all the birds are used up and the pigs are still plenty, the player will not be able to proceed to the next level. Clever pigs, eh? And one more thing, if you don’t get kill all the pigs, they’ll flash their sinister smile on you(thinkquest.org,2011).

            Now that you know the physics behind the game, I have a strong feeling that you now have better chances of getting higher scores and gaining a lot of stars at every level. It’s not just random “slingshotting” you know, it’s all in the science we call physics. Estimate carefully the angle you project your birds for them to hit the right target. Playing “Angry Birds” is freaking awesome once you put into practice what you learn in physics in generating tactics. Well, this is just one of the many games where you could find countless applications of science concepts. So have fun exploring, playing and learning as well! Squawk!

Works Cited:

·         Rovio Entertainment Ltd. (2011). Angry Birds. Retrieved September 25, 2011, from www.rovio.com: http://www.rovio.com/index.php?page=angry-birds

·         Oracle Think Quest Education Foundation. (2011). The Physics of Projectile Motion Retrieved September 25, 2011, from thinkquest.org: http://library.thinkquest.org/2779/

**This is another late publish of my magazine article for English 1(Uychoco)