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Newton's Laws Stations Activity
Jenga Physics (student handout)
Materials:
• Jenga game
Step-by-Step Procedure:
1. You start with a stack of rectangular blocks, three per level, such
that there are generally 54 blocks in total.
2. During each turn of play, one person removes a block from
somewhere in the stack and puts it on the top.
3. The block must be removed and placed in a fashion that doesn't
tip the whole thing over. If you tip it, you lose. That's the game.
It's brilliantly simple.
Test Your Understanding:
Play a game of JENGA!
But what about the impossible Jenga move? Suppose a Jenga level only has
one block in it, as the other two have been removed. Can you take away that
last block? Hell no. If you do that, all of the levels above the block will fall
down…right?
That's what we thought, too. Until we saw the impossible Jenga
move, perfected.
Using Newton's laws, explain why some Jenga blocks are harder to
move than others.
Name: Class: Date:
