What Equation Should I Use for Bouncing on a Trampoline in a Video Game?

[Subliminalman]

Currently I am making a small video game where a cat is constantly falling through the sky! I want to add in some trampolines that when hit you will bounce according to the trampolines angle.

What equation would I use to perform this function?


I have provided a picture to help illustrate what I am trying to achieve

For all of you programmers out there here is the code that I used so far

if (trampTime <= 0)
{
//trampRotation is in radians
character.velocity.Y = 10 * (float)Math.Sin(trampRotation);
character.velocity.X = 10 * (float)Math.Cos(trampRotation);
}
trampTime++;
if (trampTime > 30)
{
character.trampoline = false;
trampTime = 0;
}




Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Drakkith]

You might try the Computer and Technology forum instead of General Physics. You should have the best chance of getting help there!

 

[MATLABdude]

Welcome to PhysicsForums!

Since you seem to grok code, I presume that you're more interested in the physics of the situation, rather than code that models the physics.

If you make the assumption that the bounce is completely elastic (not a bad assumption, for the lulz) the angle of incidence will be the same as the angle of reflection, as measured from the normal of the plane (or, in your case, trampoline):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collision
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflection_(physics)

If you make the assumption that you don't have perfectly elastic collisions, you have to do some vector analysis (all while dealing with gravity, as I presume you are).

 

[jtbell]

Yes, I agree that a physics forum is probably better for this particular question, since it's basically a physics question. If the OP wants to get into discussing the programming code specifically, the "Programming & Comp Sci" forum would be the place for that.

 

[PJC01]

!

I would recommend using the laws of physics to determine the equation for bouncing on a trampoline. The key factors to consider are the force applied to the trampoline, the angle of the trampoline, and the mass and velocity of the object bouncing on the trampoline. The equation you would need to use is the Newton's Second Law of Motion, which states that the force applied to an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration. In this case, the force applied to the object would be the force of the trampoline pushing back against the object, and the acceleration would be the change in velocity as the object bounces.

To make the equation more specific to your game, you could also consider using the Hooke's Law, which describes the relationship between the force applied to a spring (or in this case, a trampoline) and the distance it is stretched or compressed. This law can help determine the force applied to the object as it bounces on the trampoline, taking into account the angle of the trampoline and the speed of the object.

In terms of coding, you may need to use vector math to calculate the direction and magnitude of the bounce, taking into account the angle of the trampoline. You could also consider implementing a physics engine, which would handle the calculations for you and make the bouncing more realistic.

I hope this helps and good luck with your game!