Friction
Super Mario Sunshine incorporates friction in different ways, many of which make the game incredibly more fun. But how physically accurate is the friction displayed?
The first friction test will have a primary goal of figuring out whether basic friction principles apply in the game. For the testing space, I chose the tiled ground inside the plaza, where sprinklers coat the ground in specific places. Right off the bat, friction is a noticeable force in the game, for Mario is even able to walk, an action that requires a coefficient between shoes and the ground to push him forward. But how does this frictional force between Mario’s shoes and the ground change as the surface beneath his feet changes?
The first step of this procedure is to simply run across the dry ground, and continue running through the wet ground area. If there is a coefficient of friction change once Mario reaches the wet tile, Mario’s velocity would have to change, for the friction force that the ground pushes on Mario would be less because the water lubricates the tile.
After performing this test, I noticed from close observation that Mario’s legs move at the same speed, making him move at the same rate, regardless of which surface (dry or wet tile) he is standing on. This demonstration of friction is physically inaccurate, for in the real world, the coefficient of friction between a person's shoes and wet tile would be smaller than dry tile, creating less of a friction force and generating less walking distance.
The first friction test will have a primary goal of figuring out whether basic friction principles apply in the game. For the testing space, I chose the tiled ground inside the plaza, where sprinklers coat the ground in specific places. Right off the bat, friction is a noticeable force in the game, for Mario is even able to walk, an action that requires a coefficient between shoes and the ground to push him forward. But how does this frictional force between Mario’s shoes and the ground change as the surface beneath his feet changes?
The first step of this procedure is to simply run across the dry ground, and continue running through the wet ground area. If there is a coefficient of friction change once Mario reaches the wet tile, Mario’s velocity would have to change, for the friction force that the ground pushes on Mario would be less because the water lubricates the tile.
After performing this test, I noticed from close observation that Mario’s legs move at the same speed, making him move at the same rate, regardless of which surface (dry or wet tile) he is standing on. This demonstration of friction is physically inaccurate, for in the real world, the coefficient of friction between a person's shoes and wet tile would be smaller than dry tile, creating less of a friction force and generating less walking distance.
Does this mean that the coefficient of friction does not change when moving to the wet tile surface? The answer is more complicated than a "yes" or a "no". One of Mario’s famous actions is the “stomach slide”, an action involving pushing off the ground with his feet and sliding on the ground face down on his stomach.
Upon performing this action on dry land, Mario comes to a stop quickly, in about 2 seconds. Performing this action on water however provided drastically different results. The wet tile did not cause Mario to slow to a stop, but rather increased his speed, until at the end of the wet run when he is moving at a faster velocity than he started at. This is physically impossible, which any 4th grader with a Slip’n’Slide could tell you. Friction forces do not act in the same direction of movement, and for that reason, the friction force while doing the stomach slide in Super Mario Sunshine is physically inaccurate. On an additional note, Mario should not be able to move left or right while sliding to avoid obstacles without a net force acting on him, so he would not be able to dodge the islander when sliding (see below video).
Upon performing this action on dry land, Mario comes to a stop quickly, in about 2 seconds. Performing this action on water however provided drastically different results. The wet tile did not cause Mario to slow to a stop, but rather increased his speed, until at the end of the wet run when he is moving at a faster velocity than he started at. This is physically impossible, which any 4th grader with a Slip’n’Slide could tell you. Friction forces do not act in the same direction of movement, and for that reason, the friction force while doing the stomach slide in Super Mario Sunshine is physically inaccurate. On an additional note, Mario should not be able to move left or right while sliding to avoid obstacles without a net force acting on him, so he would not be able to dodge the islander when sliding (see below video).
Interestingly, the creators of Super Mario Sunshine had a lot of fun with eliminating the friction force for when Mario steps into a very specific slimy/goo substance. As demonstrated by the picture, Mario had trouble walking anywhere through the goo substance, for Mario kept slipping back and forth due to the low friction force between the goo and Mario’s shoes.
Wall Jumping
Mario's classic wall-jumping move has been around for much longer than the game has. Using the power of friction, Mario is able to jump from wall to wall, as demonstrated below. To what degree is this possible?
First I wanted to test whether or not sliding against the wall slowed Mario's fall. When performing a standard side-jump (see Mario's Classic Moves tab), I timed how long it took for Mario to touch the ground after reaching the jump's highest point. I recorded the following times:
.6 seconds
.7 seconds
.5 seconds
.6 seconds
Average time: .6 seconds
Next, I followed the same procedure for the same type of jump except performed while sliding against the wall (see video below). I recorded the following times:
.7 seconds
.8 seconds
.6 seconds
.7 seconds
Average time: .7 seconds
.6 seconds
.7 seconds
.5 seconds
.6 seconds
Average time: .6 seconds
Next, I followed the same procedure for the same type of jump except performed while sliding against the wall (see video below). I recorded the following times:
.7 seconds
.8 seconds
.6 seconds
.7 seconds
Average time: .7 seconds
As the data shows, the friction from the wall and Mario adds an extra tenth of a second to his time, so the friction force acted in the opposite direction Mario was falling in, which is how friction works in the real world. But it is not the force of friction that slows Mario down that is unrealistic, it is the way in which Mario falls. As demonstrated by the video, Mario slides in a vertical line downward after making contact with the wall with a perpendicular velocity. Once Mario hits the wall, Mario's body is applying a force to the wall, which according to Newton's third law, the wall pushes back on Mario. Mario should not be able to slide down the wall while rubbing against it, for there is not any force pushing him against the wall. Instead, the wall and Mario would absorb some energy from the collision, and it is more likely that he would bounce off the wall and move away from the wall rather than cling to it. With this in mind, if one were to assume wall jumping is possible, one would have to jump immediately after touching the wall to get the most force. Additionally, the coefficient of friction between the person and the wall would have to be extremely high to get the proper grip to push off the wall with a sideways and upward velocity to the other wall. This would also require an incredible amount of strength. In conclusion, the physics suggest that wall-jumping is most likely impossible to perform in a real-life situation.
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