What should I show about KSP in my physics class?

[DanGSun]

I have promised my teacher to show KSP at the lesson. What should I show? We've passed Newton's laws, circular motion & escape velocities.

P.S: By the way, it's Russian school)

[RizzoTheRat]

How about doing a calculation on paper and then setting up the same manoeuvre in ksp to show it?

Eg orbital period for given Pe/Ap, or take that a step further and calculate the phase angle for a hohmann transfer? 

[RealKerbal3x]

What about kinetic and gravitational potential energy?

[Pecan]

I would say just launching to orbit, depending on how much time you have.

• Not nearly enough TWR - don't even get off the ground
• Not quite enough TWR/dV - almost but fall back down.
• Way too much TWR - shoot straight up in the sky with no chance to turn
• Gravity turn - ascent burn, idle and injection burn (or continuous very-low-throttle for more real-world accuracy)

Edited November 8, 2019 by Pecan

[Superfluous J]

I like the idea of a Hohmann transfer, it's something you can calculate with pretty simple math but then seeing it happen on screen could really cement the concept.

[AHHans]

My $0.05. (Yes, feel free to convert that to rubles. ):

a) I suggest to prepare save-files with the situation that you want to show already set up. Trying to "quickly set something up" when you are nervous is prone to go wrong.

b) Did you discuss any maneuver already in class? E.g. if you already have talked about a Hohmann transfer or how to get into orbit in class, then I'd show that.

c) For extra points with your teacher you can/should do some calculations on the blackboard and then show that in the game.

In addition to the already suggested maneuvers (launch into orbit, Hohmann transfer) I have:
- Demonstrate the Oberth effect: transfer from an elliptical orbit to a (wider) circular orbit, once starting at the PE and once starting at the AP.
- Rendezvous in low Kerbin orbit, and the difficulties with knowing in which direction to thrust in order to get close to the target.
 

P.S. I guess the most important advice is: show what you like to show and enjoy doing yourself. There is little use to e.g. try to demonstrate the Oberth effect if you don't understand it yourself. (Except maybe if you want to present it as "here is something that is a thing, but I don't understand it".) Also be prepared that your teacher may not know about the Oberth effect.

Edited November 8, 2019 by AHHans
Added P.S.

[DanGSun]

And talking about Mods?.. Should I install any Informartional mods?

Edited November 8, 2019 by DanGSun

[Kerbart]

The rocket equation, how it’s derived and how it marches up to what you do. Combine it with the vis-viva equations and you can show how much propellant is needed to go from one circular orbit to another.

[RizzoTheRat]

42 minutes ago, DanGSun said:

And talking about Mods?.. Should I install any Informartional mods?

KER will show info like orbital period and ap/pe altitudes so I'd say well worth having. 

[pandaman]

14 minutes ago, RizzoTheRat said:

KER will show info like orbital period and ap/pe altitudes so I'd say well worth having. 

That is available in stock now so a mod isn't 'needed' for showing it, but KER may well be a more convenient way to display it as you can have it all visible at once.

[Pecan]

MJ has much more convenient custom windows if it's an info-display you're after but I'd think they'd all be too hard to see across a classroom.  There's no mods I'd use just for a KSP demonstration, although is KSP Education edition still going?

[AHHans]

16 hours ago, DanGSun said:

And talking about Mods?.. Should I install any Informartional mods?

I personally would not. Since 1.7 all the really important information is also displayed by the stock game.

But it's really up to you, if you like KER or mechjeb (or whatever) then go ahead.

[herbal space program]

My $0.02 is that orbital rendezvous seems like  a great tool to teach some counter-intuitive features of Newtonian mechanics/basic calculus. You have to go lower to go faster, higher to go slower, and figure out how to work in 4 dimensions. Depends on the level of the class of course.

[Streetwind]

Show off that conservation of momentum thing with the T-shaped piece. The first time I saw that it blew my mind that a game would simulate something like that accurately

[έķ νίĻĻάίή]

It’s been a while, but next time, show the kraken or use a kraken drive ( k-drive?)

That would be interesting.