CONTEST: Make a fun bouncing balls demo

Contest:

Make the bouncing balls script more interesting.

Judging:

Submitted entries will be run during the Workshop and everyone will vote for the winner.

Prize:

FOR EXAMPLE: One-year subscription to Wired Magazine (US$10 value).

Submission:

Email your script as an attachment to workshop_organizer@institution.edu. To make life easier please name the script “bounce_<yourname>.py” before attaching.

Deadline:

The deadline for submission is TBD.

Bouncing balls

The script below shows a simple example of making an animation using matplotlib. The key feature is the draw() command which re-draws the plot window.

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.figure(1)
plt.clf()
plt.axis([-10, 10, -10, 10])

# Define properties of the "bouncing balls"
n = 10
pos = (20 * np.random.sample(n*2) - 10).reshape(n, 2)
vel = (0.3 * np.random.normal(size=n*2)).reshape(n, 2)
sizes = 100 * np.random.sample(n) + 100

# Colors where each row is (Red, Green, Blue, Alpha).  Each can go
# from 0 to 1.  Alpha is the transparency.
colors = np.random.sample([n, 4])

# Draw all the circles and return an object ``circles`` that allows
# manipulation of the plotted circles.
circles = plt.scatter(pos[:,0], pos[:,1], marker='o', s=sizes, c=colors)

for i in range(100):
    pos = pos + vel
    bounce = abs(pos) > 10      # Find balls that are outside walls
    vel[bounce] = -vel[bounce]  # Bounce if outside the walls
    circles.set_offsets(pos)    # Change the positions
    plt.draw()
    plt.show()

In order to run this you should copy the lines above into a file called bounce.py in your working directory. Then start IPython as usual with ipython --matplotlib or with the Pylab application on Windows and enter the following:

run -i bounce.py

This command essentially runs the lines of the file as if you had entered them by hand, but this now allows for longer scripts. This has the convenient property that all the variables defined within the script are available at the command line once the script finishes execution. Use this to examine key variables like pos, sizes, colors to understand how the script is working.

The key plot routine being called is scatter(). Read the documentation and understand how it is called.

Examine the circles object with help and ?. Look for “set_*” methods (circles.set_<TAB>) that will let you set something and then get help on those as well to learn how to use them. There are corresponding “get_*” methods that let you examine the existing values.

Contest

Make the example script more interesting and visually stimulating! Possibilities include:

• Change the colors and/or sizes dynamically
• Use other shapes and make them spin
• Add a lot more balls (at what point do things break?)
• Put in animated text with the text() command. You’ll need to do something like mytext = text(...) and then figure out how to change the properties of the text (e.g. rotation angle) using mytext.get_<TAB> and mytext.set_<TAB> and help mytext.
• Do silly things like make the tick labels change colors and/or spin following the example code at the end of the Axis containers documentation.
• Put in physics, like making the balls bounce off each other, including gravity, or ???

Entries from CfA 2011 Workshops

Below are the entries that were received for the contest. Thanks to all who submitted an entry!

bounce_fprimini.py	Spinning pentagons
bounce_jconnelly.py	Order from chaos [*]
bounce_jslavin.py	1-d gravity [*]
bounce_kkratter.py	Growing rings
bounce_mswanson.py	Whirling stars
bounce_pgrigis.py	Diffusion: contest winner
bounce_trobitaille1.py	Gravitational well [*]
bounce_trobitaille2.py	Trailing images [*]

[*]: From a workshop organizer (not eligible for prize!)

Entries from CfA 2012 Workshops

Below are the entries that were received for the contest. Thanks to all who submitted an entry!

bounce_kpoppenhaeger.py	balls and thorns
bounce_krosenfeld.py	2d Metropolis-Hastings algorithm
bounce_xlu_just4fun.py	a flying dolphin
bounce_xlu.py	balls with gravity and elastic force