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The Physics Behind Jenga


Jenga, the popular party game, teaches children about physics often times without them knowing it. The game is well known for requiring that the players attempt to master the laws of physics and rely on a slight amount of luck in order to defeat their opponent. Let's get into the physics of this cult-classic. 

Jenga is a game that requires an understanding of opposing forces, gravity, balance, and center of gravity. This is why the game comes so quickly to people, because this same knowledge is required for a person to stand up straight. As we know for an object to remain stationery it must have equally opposing forces to hold in in place. This is why when someone takes a Jenga piece off of the outside of the tower, the tower most always collapses. Due to the lack of an opposing force on the side opposite to which the piece was taken out, the Jenga tower cannot stand. Also, when you play Jenga you are taking away from the stable foundation of your tower and piling the blocks higher and higher, thus raising the center of gravity. This is why it is recommended that you take blocks from the top of the tower as it lowers the center of gravity making it easier to control. Because of torque which is T=F*R, and R being the position vector with is relatively small, a person could theoretically remove all the blocks while keeping a cross pattern. Yet air resistance and friction would prove this almost impossible. Surprisingly, one can learn some of the fundamentals of physics through a game as simple as Jenga. 

 Works Cited: 

 https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/65134/why-are-some-jenga-pieces-easier-to-remove-than-others

 https://prezi.com/tun_f4kfn53d/the-physics-of-jenga/

 https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/5-things-jenga-teaches-structural-engineering.htm
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