Educator-Guide-English TuringTumble

Educator Guide
Version 2.8 - Covers challenges 1 to 30

Welcome Educators!
We are excited that you’re using Turing Tumble in your classroom! This kit
is easy to use. There are no batteries to charge, no apps to install or update,
and no cords needed…just show the students how to follow the puzzle book,
and your class will be ready to go. You can use it as part of math stations,
unit studies, learning engineering concepts, independent study, introducing
computer science principles, free choice time, or in a library learning center.
This educator guide is a companion to Turing Tumble. Everything is black and

white to make it easy for you to print or copy. This version of the guide covers
the first 30 challenges in the book.
What’s in this guide?
Inside are two types of resources:
1. Lesson curricula: As students progress through the puzzles, there are

certain times where you can take a break for a lesson. The lessons anchor
the concepts learned through Turing Tumble to real life applications. You’ll
find materials for each of these lessons spread out among the puzzles.
2. Help with individual puzzles: We show the puzzle, the solution, an

explanation of the solution, common pitfalls, and the underlying concept
that the puzzle is intended to teach.
As you walk around a classroom, you can glance at this guide to quickly learn
how to coach a student trying to solve a puzzle and help them understand the
underlying concepts.
ii
What is Turing Tumble?
Turing Tumble is a game where players build mechanical computers powered

by marbles to solve logic puzzles. While they play, they learn key computer
science concepts and build skills essential to coding. It also helps students
learn how computers work at a basic level: how simple switches, connected
together in clever ways, can do incredibly smart things. It can be used as a
standalone tool to teach how computers work, as a precursor or supplement
to coding lessons, or as a helpful manipulative to reinforce programming and
mathematical concepts.
What does Turing Tumble teach?
Turing Tumble teaches a number of concepts and skills that are fundamental
to computers, programming, and digital electronics. It builds skills in
computational thinking, logic, algorithm design, critical thinking, debugging/
troubleshooting, fine motor, spatial reasoning, and persistence. It also teaches
concepts including logic gates, truth tables, conditionals, binary, binary
operations, and digital circuit design.
Is this guide useful to you?
Please tell us what you think! We’re always looking for ways to make our
games better and improve our educator resources. If you find something that
works well, that you think others could use, please reach out to us! Send us
an email at [email protected], or head to our Turing Tumble Community
page (community.turingtumble.com) to share your ideas and ask questions.
iii
Contents
Basics for Classroom Use................................................................................................. 1

How it Works..................................................................................................................... 8
How to Use this Guide.....................................................................................................11
Computer Logic Lesson #1: How is Turing Tumble a Computer?..........................10
Computer Logic Lesson #2: Ramps.............................................................................14
Challenge #1: Gravity................................................................................................................. 16
Challenge #2: Re-entry............................................................................................................. 18
Challenge #3: Ignition.............................................................................................................. 20
Challenge #4: Fusion................................................................................................................ 22
Computer Logic Lesson #3: Crossovers....................................................................24
Challenge #5: Entropy............................................................................................................. 26
Challenge #6: Total Internal Reflection............................................................................28
Challenge #7: Path of Least Resistance........................................................................... 30
Computer Logic Lesson #4: Bits................................................................................. 32
Challenge #8: Depolarization............................................................................................... 34
Challenge #9: Dimers............................................................................................................... 36
Challenge #10: Double Bond.................................................................................................38
Challenge #11: Selectivity........................................................................................................40
Computer Logic Lesson #5: Interceptors..................................................................42
Challenge #12: Duality - Part 1..............................................................................................44
Challenge #13: Duality - Part 2.............................................................................................46
Computer Logic Lesson #6: Conditional Statements.............................................48
Challenge #14: Duality - Part 3............................................................................................. 52
Challenge #15: Inversion......................................................................................................... 54
Challenge #16: Termination................................................................................................... 56
Challenge #17: Fixed Ratio.....................................................................................................58
Computer Logic Lesson #7: Logic Gates...................................................................60
Challenge #18: Entanglement............................................................................................... 62
Computer Logic Lesson #8: Truth Tables.................................................................64
Challenge #19: Entanglement...............................................................................................68
Challenge #20: Symbiosis..................................................................................................... 70
iv
Computer Logic Lesson #9: Registers....................................................................... 72
Challenge #21: Quantum Number....................................................................................... 76
Challenge #22: Depletion.......................................................................................................80
Challenge #23: Tetrad..............................................................................................................84
Challenge #24: Ennead...........................................................................................................86
Challenge #25: Regular Expression...................................................................................88
Challenge #26: Nucleus..........................................................................................................90
Challenge #27: Reflection...................................................................................................... 92
Computer Logic Lesson #10: Gears and Gear Bits..................................................94
Challenge #28: Latch.............................................................................................................. 100
Challenge #29: One-Shot Switch...................................................................................... 102
Challenge #30: Overflow...................................................................................................... 104
Resources....................................................................................................................... 106
v
<< This page intentionally left blank >>
vi
Basics for Classroom Use
Recommended Age
We recommend Turing Tumble for ages 8 and up. The puzzle book is laid out
so that a student can independently get started and progress at his/her own
pace. We find that kids 8-12 are able to get through the first 20-30 puzzles.
University students and adults get addicted by puzzle 27, and they are
amazed by what a mechanical computer can do by puzzle 35. Younger kids
enjoy the first ten and building their own computers.
Single Player or Partners
We recommend only one to two students per board. With this game, true
understanding happens when students are physically working through the
puzzle. You will see your students add pieces and then drag their finger down
the board to test their prediction of where the marbles will fall. When you see
this happening, you will know they are getting it, but this kind of hands-on
learning can’t happen very well in a group of three or more.
Puzzle Timing
In an hour-long class introducing the game, setting up, playing, and cleaning
up, most students will have time to solve 4-5 puzzles.
Puzzles 1-10: 5-15 minutes each to solve
The remaining puzzles vary greatly from person to person
Independent Learning and Intentional Scaffolding
Students must keep track of their own progress – it is crucial that they
understand each puzzle and don’t try to skip ahead, even if the first puzzles
are too easy for them. Each puzzle introduces a new concept, rule, or trick and
they’ll find themselves quickly lost if they don’t complete each of the puzzles in
turn. We often see students try the first three puzzles, flip to the last puzzle, and
think they’ve solved it immediately because they don’t yet know all the rules.
Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8 1

Classroom Videos
Getting Started with Turing Tumble video:

https://bit.ly/getting-started-with-turing-tumble
Students describe how to get started with Turing Tumble,

some helpful hints for setting up the game, how to play, and
troubleshooting.
How Turing Tumble is a Computer:

https://bit.ly/like-a-computer
This video explains how Turing Tumble is a mechanical

computer and the differences between mechanical computers
and their electronic counterparts that most people are familiar
with. It shows the inside of an electronic computer and zooms
in on the microscopic switches inside the processor that can
only be seen with an electron tunneling microscope. Turing
Tumble has mechanical switches that players can connect
together in clever ways to do smart things. If Turing Tumble
were big enough, it could do anything your desktop computer,
laptop or cell phone can do.
Looking inside a computer processor:

https://bit.ly/computer-processor
This video zooms into a computer processor all the way until
you can see the individual switches (called “transistors”) inside
and the tiny copper wires connecting them together. As it
zooms further and further in, you’ll notice the images change
from color to black and white. That’s when the creators of the
video had to switch from taking pictures with light to taking
pictures with electrons, because they’re so much smaller.
Promotional Educator Video:

https://bit.ly/turing-tumble-edu-video
This video can be used to promote Turing Tumble within your

school, district, and community.
2 Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8

Practice Guide
Don’t forget about the Turing Tumble Practice Guide! You can download it
for free at upperstory.com/turingtumble/edu/resources. Besides offering all
the puzzles in an easy-to-print/copy black and white form, it also contains
30 extra “practice puzzles” placed in between the regular ones. The practice
puzzles lower the learning curve by easing players into new concepts more
gradually.
Turing Tumble on a Screen
Online Turing Tumble simulators are great for demonstrating how to use
Turing Tumble to a class. You can project a simulator on a screen, build
machines on it quickly, and run it right there on screen for your class to watch.
Currently we recommend using the following simulators.
Simulator 1 by Rich Twilton:

https://bit.ly/tumble-together-simulator
This simulator looks very similar to the actual game

and has the first 30 challenges loaded in the menu for
immediate play. It also allows students to share their work
remotely as they solve challenges via shared rooms.
Simulator 2 by Jesse Crossen:

https://bit.ly/tt-sim
This simulator looks very similar in appearance to the actual game. It animates
marbles falling through it with physics that look just like the real Turing
Tumble. You can even make the board larger if you want to make more
complicated machines.
Simulator 3 by Lode Vandevenne:

https://bit.ly/js-tumble
This simulator is easy to learn. You’ll be creating little machines in minutes.

Tips and Tricks
• The legs on the stand can be assembled two ways, but only one way holds
the board. If the stand doesn’t hold the board, pull the stand apart, flip one
part around and try it in the new configuration.
• Put the stand and the board INSIDE the box top to keep all the parts and
marbles corralled.
• Wait to load the marbles until AFTER game pieces have been added to
the board. The process of solving the challenge can cause the board to jostle
or the bottom lever to be triggered which can result in the marbles getting
released too soon and bouncing all over.
• Do not load all of the marbles! Load only what the challenge calls for
(typically about 8 on each side).
• Trace the path of the marble with a finger to find out where the pieces
should go. If the finger path runs into one of the white pegs on the board, add
another piece.
• Marbles should never free-fall. If they do, place the parts on the board to
guide them all the way down.
• Use the “emergency stop” by holding up the levers at the bottom of the
board to catch the marbles from triggering more.
• The black tray that holds the legs may be placed under the box to preserve
space.
• Clean-up Tips:
• Make sure each piece is returned to its spot.

• Insert the book on top of the game pieces with the binding in the wedge.
• Place the legs in the tray and set this on top of the pieces and book.
• Place the white board on the very top.

How it Works
The game board releases one marble at a time from the top:
Press here to start the

machine... ...and a marble is
released from the top.
Each marble falls down the board and when it reaches the bottom, it pushes
down one of two black flippers at the bottom that release another marble.
If it pushes down the right If it pushes down the left

flipper, a red marble is flipper, a blue marble is
released. released.

Players add logic by putting six different types of parts onto the board:
The ramp directs marbles to the right or to the left,

depending on how you place it on the board. They are
reversible pieces, but once you've put them on the board,
the counterweights turn them to their original position after
RAMP a marble goes through them. The ramps are like electrical
wires in a computer and the marbles are like electricity.
The crossover acts like two wires crossing over each other
without touching each other, sort of like how overpasses
allow cars to drive over other roads.
CROSSOVER
The bit adds logic. It stores information by pointing to

the right or to the left. These two states (left or right) can
represent the statements False or True, or 0 or 1 like is
often used in computer science. A marble passing through
a bit changes its direction and therefore changes the
information it stores. The bit becomes more and more
BIT
important as the puzzles progress.
When the computer’s objective is complete, the interceptor

can be used to stop the computer from releasing any more
marbles.
INTERCEPTOR
Like the bit, the gear bit stores information by pointing

right or left, but when a gear bit is flipped, it can also flip
other gear bits connected to it by gears.
The gears and gear bits are mind-bending, but they add
a whole new level of functionality to the board. They
GEARS AND GEAR BITS also make the computer “Turing-complete,” which means
that if the board was big enough, it could do anything an
electronic computer could do!
Every kit comes with a small bag of black washers. These

should be added behind the gear bits when only two gear
bits are connected together to increase friction. However,
if more than two gear bits are connected, the washers
shouldn’t be used.

Turing Tumble comes with a book of 60 puzzles. They start out easy and
become steadily more challenging. As you move through the puzzle book,
new types of parts are unlocked. For example, you start by just using the
ramp pieces, but after four puzzles, the crossover is unlocked. Each puzzle
leads the player to discover new concepts that can be applied to more com-
plicated puzzles later on.
There is also a story woven into the puzzles to give them context and to
hopefully make them more interesting for some students. Each puzzle
brings Alia the space engineer closer to rescue from a seemingly deserted
planet.

How to Use this Guide
Each challenge is listed with the page number for quick reference. The puzzle
page is shown at the top with the solution next to it. Some players’ questions
can be answered with a quick glance at the solution.
Computer logic lessons
In this guide, “Computer Logic Lessons” are positioned before students begin
using a new part or before they learn a new concept. It is organized this way
so that educators can anticipate what will be learned. However, you may find
it easier to teach the lesson after the students have had some practice with
the parts.
Puzzle-specific educator resources
Each challenge has its own teaching and learning concepts listed below the
visuals of the challenge and solution. An educator can flip to any challenge
and find guidance for helping students with the specific skills and hang-ups
that might be encountered.
You’ll quickly notice that there is repetition in the educator resources for each
puzzle. For example, challenges five, six, and seven all teach students how
to use the crossover. Therefore, in the educator resources for each challenge,
you’ll see many of the same points discussed. This allows you, as a teacher, to
consult only the educator resources for the relevant puzzle, without having to
look back at the educator resources for previous puzzles to understand it.
• What players learn about computer logic

In this section, you’ll find quick bullets about the connection between the
puzzle and what’s going on inside a computer. The Computer Logic Lessons
give a more thorough description of the connection.
• What players learn about the game

This section shows what players learn about the game through this puzzle. It
could be a functional aspect of the game (like how the board or parts work),
something to notice about the puzzle book or the challenges themselves, or a

trick the player is learning that will need to be reused later on.
• Possible hang-ups
In this section, hints and tricks are included to help students complete the
challenges. These are not exhaustive, but highlight the logic steps we’ve
seen players struggle with.
As you use this Educator Guide, we would appreciate your input so that we
can improve this guide and add content for future use.

Computer Logic Lesson #1: How is Turing Tumble a Computer?
Computer Logic Lesson #1: How is Turing Tumble a
Computer?
If you’re like most people, you’re probably wondering how on earth this
marble contraption could possibly be a computer. It has no screen, no
keyboard, and no electronics. How is it anything like a computer?
To start, let’s look at what’s inside a regular desktop computer.
There are all sorts of things in there like circuit boards, fans, lights, and
motors, but those aren’t the smart parts of a computer. In fact, they’re
only there to support the computer’s processor – a little rectangular chip
under a big fan that cools it down.

The computer processor (or central processing unit - CPU) is where all the
“smarts” in a computer happen. It’s the part that runs programs and does
math and logic. The processor does a lot of hard work when the computer
is running and it generates a lot of heat in the process. The fan on top of it
is there to cool it down so that it doesn’t overheat.
This is what this computer’s processor looks like when it’s taken out:
The goopy stuff on top of the processor is thermal paste. It makes it

easier for heat to transfer out of the chip. If we clean off the thermal
paste, it looks like this on top and bottom:
On the bottom of the processor, you can see over a thousand little pins
sticking out. The pins connect the inside of the processor to things on the
outside. Some pins are inputs – they send information into the processor
or simply provide it power. Other pins are outputs – the processor uses
the outputs to send information to the rest of the computer. For example,
the computer’s keyboard would provide input to a processor while a
screen would show information coming from the output of a processor.
What’s inside a computer processor?
Switches. Lots and lots of switches. Billions of switches. The switches

are so small that you can’t even see them with your eye. In fact, they’re
so small that you couldn’t even see them through a microscope because
the wavelength of visible light itself is too big. These days, the switches
in a computer processor are about a thousand times smaller than the
thickness of a human hair.
The following video zooms into a computer processor all the way until
you can see the individual switches (called “transistors”) inside and the
tiny copper wires connecting them together. As it zooms further and
further in, you’ll notice the images change from color to black and white.
That’s when the creators of the video had to switch from taking pictures
with light to taking pictures with electrons, because they’re so much
smaller. You can see the video here:
https://bit.ly/computer-processor
How do switches do anything smart?
When you hear “switch” you probably think about the switch on your
wall that turns the light on and off, and it seems impossible to think that
switches like that could do anything other than turn stuff on and off.
And you’d be right about your light switch. It can’t do anything smart.
Switches in computers, however, are not limited to "on" or "off" like light
switches; their state (on or off) also effects the way other switches in their
neighborhood behave. In other words, computer switches can do smart
stuff because they are able to flip other switches. In order for switches to
be able to do smart things, the key is that they must be able to be flipped
by the same type of energy that they control. A light switch can’t flip
other switches because it takes mechanical energy to flip it, but it controls
electrical energy. You can’t connect the output of one light switch to the
input of another.
In Turing Tumble, the switches (that is, the blue and purple parts we call
“bits” and “gear bits”) are flipped by mechanical energy, and they also
control mechanical energy: They’re flipped by a marble rolling over them,
and they control whether a marble rolls off their left or right side.
Switches in a computer (transistors) are flipped by electrical energy and
also control electrical energy. The image above is of a relatively large,
individual transistor that’s about the size of the nail on your pinky finger.
This is how it works: pin 1 controls the flow of electricity from pin 2 to pin
3. If electricity is being pushed into pin 1, electricity can flow from pin 2 to
pin 3. Otherwise, it can’t.
Since the switches in computer processors and in Turing Tumble are

flipped by the same type of energy as they control, it’s possible for one
switch to cause another switch to flip. As you work through the puzzles
in Turing Tumble, you’ll discover how this one, simple property makes it
possible to build machines of limitless capability!
How Turing Tumble is a Computer Video:

https://bit.ly/like-a-computer

Computer Logic Lesson #2: Ramps
In these first challenges, the only part used is the “ramp.” It looks like this:
The purpose of the ramp is to make marbles always go in a certain direction.

If you put it on the board pointing to the left, the marbles will go left. If
you put it on the board pointing to the right, the marbles will go to the right.
What do electronic ramps look like in an electronic computer?
In an electronic computer, like a laptop, desktop, or smart phone, wires

are used for the same purpose as ramps. Wires direct electricity where
it should go, sort of like a pipe for electrons. Sometimes wires direct
electricity to a switch or another electrical component, or sometimes they
just lead to more wires that branch off.
There are even tiny wires in microchips like this one:
Photo of a Motorola 68040 processor taken by Photo of a decapped Motorola 68040 processor taken
Konstantin Lanzet. Shared under CC BY-SA 3.0 license by Gregg M. Erickson. Shared under CC BY 3.0 license at
at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_68040. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_68040.
The picture on the left shows a microchip like you might see inside your
computer. Microchips are just tiny electrical circuits, covered in plastic or
ceramic to keep them safe. On the right is the same microchip, but without
the protective coating.
If you zoom in far enough, you can see the tiny copper wires connecting
different parts of the electrical circuit.
This scanning electron microscope image of

a decapped chip was used with permission
from DELTA Microelectronics (https://asic.
madebydelta.com)
In Turing Tumble, ramps are like wires and the marbles are like electricity.
When you place ramps on the board, you are making the paths the
marbles can travel, just like how wires make the paths through which
electricity can travel.

Challenge #1: Gravity
(page 15 in puzzle book)
Challenge 1: Gravity Challenge 1 Solution
Objective: Make all of the blue marbles (and only the Explanation: The four ramps complete the path from
blue marbles) reach the end. the top of the board to the bottom of the board.
Required output: Remember that it’s against the rules to allow marbles
to fall freely for any distance! When a marble rolls off
a part, it must immediately land on the next part.
Starting setup Available parts
x4
x8 x8 x8 x8
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
23
What players learn about computer logic:
• The only part used in this challenge is the ramp. Ramps are just like wires
in an electrical circuit and the marbles are like electricity. When players
place ramps on the board, they are setting up paths that marbles can travel
through, just like how wires set up paths that electricity can follow.
What players learn about the game:
• Familiarity with the layout of the puzzles: required output, starting setup
and available parts.
• The levers on the bottom are connected to the marble release on top.
• Practice putting the ramps on the board. Players will discover that the
ramps are reversible and can go on the board in either direction, depending
on where they want to route the marbles.

Possible hang-ups:
• Player’s machines cannot let marbles drop freely for any distance. Marbles
might be bouncing unpredictably because there aren’t parts leading all the
way down or the ramps are facing the wrong direction.
• Starting the machine: Once the machine is in motion, players cannot touch
it or otherwise interfere with its operation. Press the start button down
once to start the machine. Once a marble reaches the bottom, it will push a
lever to trigger the next marble.
• Putting the ramps on the board: the ramps are reversible! Note which
direction they face before putting them on the board.

Challenge #2: Re-entry
Challenge 2: Re-entry Challenge 2 Solution
Objective: Make all of the blue marbles (and only the Explanation: The starting setup leads the marbles over
blue marbles) reach the end. onto the right side. That’s a problem! If the marbles
hit the right lever, they’d release red marbles, but
Required output: you’re only supposed to let the blue marbles get to the
bottom.
To solve this puzzle, you have to use the 5 ramps to

lead marbles back over to the left lever.
x5
x8 x8 x8 x8
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
23 23
• Familiarity with the layout of the puzzles: required output, starting setup
and available parts.
• The levers on the bottom are connected to the marble release on top.
• Practice putting the ramps on the board. They will discover that the ramps
are reversible and can go on the board in either direction, depending on
where players want to route the marbles.

Possible hang-ups:
• Players might initially place ramps so that the marble triggers the right
lever. This will be a good time to be sure they’ve looked at the back of
the board to see how the lever on the bottom is connected to the marble
release on top. Encourage them to place the ramps so that the marbles are
guided back over to the blue side.

Challenge #3: Ignition
Challenge 3: Ignition Challenge 3 Solution
Objective: Release one blue marble and then all of the Explanation: The ramps bring the paths of the red and
red marbles. blue marbles into one path that leads to the right lever.
After the first blue marble, all the rest are red.
Required output:
x6
x8 x8 x8 x8
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
• Players don’t need to press the right lever to get red marbles to the bottom. A blue
marble can trigger the marble release on the red side, allowing a red marble to fall.
Possible hang-ups:
• It can be tricky for players to figure out how to release one blue marble and
all the rest red. Remind them that the blue will release when they press the
start button, and they can determine what color marble comes next based
on how they direct the marbles with the ramps.

<< This page intentionally left blank >>

Challenge #4: Fusion
Challenge 4: Fusion Challenge 4 Solution
Objective: Release one red marble and then all of the Explanation: The paths need to come together, but
blue marbles. they start far apart! Use the ramps to bring the paths
together and lead all of the marbles to the left side.
Required output:
x 13
x8 x8 x8 x8
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
• The start button can be placed on either lever. In this challenge, it needs to
go on the right side so that a red marble is released first.
• As noted in the talk bubble, players can sometimes solve challenges
with fewer parts than are listed in the “Available parts” section. You can
challenge students who are finding the introductory puzzles easy to create
the most elegant and simple solution.

Possible hang-ups:
• It can be tricky for players to figure out how to release one red marble and
all the rest blue. Remind them that the red will release when they press the
start button, and they can determine what color marble comes next based
on how they direct the marbles with the ramps.
• There are many ways a player can lay out the ramps to solve this
challenge. The example on the top is just one solution.

Computer Logic Lesson #3: Crossovers
In puzzle 5, the “crossover” part is introduced. It looks like this:
The purpose of the crossover is to let the paths of the marbles cross over
each other. A marble coming in the left side exits on the right. A marble
coming in the right side exits on the left.
What do crossovers look like in an electronic computer?
The crossover acts like two wires crossing over each other, but not
touching each other, sort of like how overpasses allow cars to drive over
other roads. Electricity can move along each of the wires, but the crossing
paths don’t interfere with each other. It would be impossible to create
complicated circuits without wires that cross. Because the crossover
allows the paths of the marbles to cross over each other without
interfering with the path of the next marble, they are performing one
small component of what happens in a circuit board.

Circuit boards are used in electronic computers to keep all the wire
connections sturdy, safe, and fixed in place. A circuit board is made of
a hard, flat material. On the surface is a thin layer of copper, etched
into a carefully designed pattern of wires that connect the electronic
components on the board. A circuit board is comprised of many more
elements than just crossing wires. Circuit boards house transistors, CPUs,
and much more. Below is an example of a circuit board. You can see the
copper wires in between all the electronic parts:
If the wires on a circuit board are all on a flat surface, how do they cross
over each other without touching? Most circuit boards actually have
multiple layers of copper wires sandwiched between insulators. Little
holes, called “vias,” connect wires in the various layers of copper. In the
picture above, you can see lots of little vias connecting the various layers
of the circuit board, allowing the copper wires to cross over and under
each other without touching. Even on a one layer circuit board, wires can
cross using "jumper wires." A jumper wire is a wire that is soldered on top
of a circuit board to hop over other wires on the circuit board.
In computer chips, there are also multiple layers of tiny wires that cross
over and under each other.

Challenge #5: Entropy
Challenge 5: Entropy Challenge 5 Solution
Objective: Make the pattern blue, red, blue, red, Explanation: This time, you have to create your own
blue, red... path for the red marbles to get over to the left lever!
You must use the crossover where your path crosses
Required output: the path of the blue marbles.
x9
x8 x8 x8 x8
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
• The crossover is a mechanical version of two wires crossing over each other
(but not touching). In electrical circuits wires are used to connect parts
throughout the circuit board. Wires weave around, over, and under each
other to route electricity where it needs to go.
• Circuit boards are usually made of several layers of wires. Wires can cross
each other if they are on separate layers. Even on a one-layer circuit
board, wires can cross using “jumper wires.” A jumper wire is a wire that
is soldered on top of a circuit board to hop over other wires on the circuit
board.
• Practice putting the new crossover pieces on the board.

• How the crossovers work: a marble that goes in on the left side will cross
over and exit out the right. A marble that goes in on the right side will cross

over and exit out the left.
• Solidifies their understanding of the levers at the bottom and marble
releases at the top.
Possible hang-ups:
• In this puzzle, the start button goes back on the left lever.
• When putting the crossover pieces on the board, the smile on the crossover
fits a bit snugly into the open smile on the board. It needs to be pushed all
the way onto the board.
• Since this is a mechanical computer, it makes a difference if the parts are

placed correctly. Players will start to notice if they didn’t slide the parts all
the way onto the board because the marbles will be a little less predictable.

Challenge #6: Total Internal Reflection
Challenge 6: Total Internal Reflection Challenge 6 Solution
Objective: Make the pattern blue, red, blue, red, Explanation: The paths for the red and blue marbles
blue, red... cross over each other five times. Crossovers must be
placed at each point where they cross.
Required output:
In the last two puzzles, the paths crossed each other
one and three times. One, three, and five are all odd
numbers. What would happen if the paths crossed
over each other an even number of times?
x2
x8 x8 x8 x8
x5
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
• Circuit boards are usually made of several layers of wires. Wires can
cross each other if they are on separate layers. Even on a one layer circuit
board.
• This challenge requires the same output as challenge five, but it is a more
simple and elegant solution.
• Practice putting the crossover pieces on the board.

• Solidifies their understanding of the levers at the bottom and marble
releases at the top.
Possible hang-ups:
• When putting the crossover pieces on the board, the smile on the crossover
fits a bit snugly into the open smile on the board. It needs to be pushed all
the way onto the board.
• Since this is a mechanical computer, it makes a difference if the parts are
placed correctly. Players will start to notice if they didn’t slide the parts all
the way onto the board because the marbles will be a little less predictable.

Challenge #7: Path of Least Resistance
Challenge 7: Path of Least Resistance Challenge 7 Solution
Objective: Create a path for the blue marbles to reach Explanation: This one is a little trickier than the last
the output with only 6 ramps. challenge. At the top, you must make a choice on
whether to go to the left or to the right. You must go to
Required output: the left this time.
x6
x8 x8 x8 x8
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
• Circuit boards are usually made of several layers of wires. Wires can
cross each other if they are on separate layers. Even on a one layer circuit
board.
• Players don’t have to make the marbles go through every part on the
board. Once in a while, the challenges have parts in the starting setup that
do not need to be used.

Possible hang-ups:
• This challenge has parts on the starting setup that are not meant to be
used. Encourage the players to think of the route that takes advantage of
as many of the crossovers on the board as possible.

Computer Logic Lesson #4: Bits
In puzzle 8, the “bit” part is introduced. It looks like this:
These bits are mechanical versions of the electronic switches inside

computer chips. Electronic switches allow you to choose which way
electricity will go based on how you set them. These mechanical switches
allow you to choose which way the marble will roll off based on which
direction they are pointed.
You often get to choose which direction the bits point when you start your
machine: Should it point left or right? If you point the bit to the left, the
next marble will fall to the right. If you point the bit to the right, the next
marble will fall to the left.
You’ll notice that bits in Turing Tumble are a little trickier than electronic
bits because a marble passing through them changes the direction of the
bit for the next marble that falls. They don't have a counterweight (like
the ramps do) to put them back in their original position.
What do bits look like in an electronic computer?
The most basic type of electronic switch in a computer is called a

“transistor.” Transistors are usually extremely tiny, but the one in the
picture below is encased inside a relatively big, plastic package to make it
easy to handle (it’s still only about the size of a pinky fingernail):

See how there are three wires coming out? One of the wires is a control
wire. By changing the force of electricity applied to that wire (i.e., the
“voltage”), it controls how much electricity can flow in through the second
wire and out through the third wire.
That’s cool, but how can a switch like that store information? It turns out
that if you take four of those transistors and connect them together in
a certain way, you can create a little circuit that remembers if it’s been
switched on or off, even when you stop pushing electricity into the control
wire. That circuit is called a “flip-flop.” It’s one of the most important
building blocks of a computer. Billions and billions of flip-flops are used to
store information in computer memory.
What do bits look like in a programming language?
When bits are used to store information, they are like variables in
a programming language. Of course, one bit doesn’t store much
information, just a 1 or 0. But when you combine multiple bits into one
variable, they can represent numbers, letters, or...anything else.
Bits also function as the most fundamental programming command of all:

the ‘if’ statement. You could think of a single bit like this:
If (bit.direction = right) Then

marble.send_left()
Else
marble.send_right()

Challenge #8: Depolarization
Challenge 8: Depolarization Challenge 8 Solution
Objective: Make the pattern blue, red, blue, red, Explanation: A bit is used to alternate the color of the
blue, red... marbles released.
Required output:
x 14
x8 x8 x8 x8
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
• Bits are mechanical versions of the electrical switches inside computers. In

computers, the electrical switches determine the path for electricity to flow.
In Turing Tumble, the direction of a bit determines which way a marble
will fall. If a bit is pointed to the left, the marble will fall to the right. If a bit
is pointed to the right, the marble will fall to the left. However, the bits in
Turing Tumble are a little more tricky than computer chip switches because
they change direction every time a marble runs over them.
• The starting position of the bit is very important. If a bit is pointed left, the
marble will fall right. If the bit is pointed right, the marble will fall to the left.
In this challenge, players must choose the starting position of the bit.
• When a marble goes through the bit, the bit stays pointed in the new
direction. This is in contrast to the ramps which have a counterweight that

turns them back to their original position.
Possible hang-ups:
• The symbol of the bit in the “Starting setup” shows it pointing up, but with
two curved arrows over it pointing to the left and right. That indicates that
the player must choose the starting direction the bit points.
• Encourage players to run their finger down the parts and watch how the
counterweight of the ramps work in contrast to the bit turning and staying
pointed in the new direction.

Challenge #9: Dimers
Challenge 9: Dimers Challenge 9 Solution
Objective: Make the pattern blue, blue, red, blue, Explanation: The bit makes every other blue marble
blue, red... release a red marble, but every red marble releases a
blue marble.
Required output:
Do you see how the bit splits the path of the blue
marbles to go in two directions? This is very important
in the coming puzzles!
x 18
x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START

• The starting position of the bit is very important. In this challenge, the
starting position of the bit is chosen for the player: it must point to the right.
Since the bit is pointed right, the marble will fall to the left.

• The starting setup also indicates how many marbles should start on top.
This is the first challenge that uses ten of each instead of eight.
• The bit and crossover, working together, allow for a more complicated
pattern because you are able to route the marbles three different directions
as they fall from the top.
Possible hang-ups:
• The symbol of the bit in the “Starting setup” shows it pointing to the
right. Players do NOT get to choose the starting position of the bit in this
challenge. It must be pointed right to start.
• This is the first time players are using the bit and crossover together. It
might take a moment to think about the path the marble will go when
the bit is pointed right (starting position) versus when it is pointing left.
Encourage players to use their fingers to trace the path the marbles will
take.

Challenge #10: Double Bond
Challenge 10: Double Bond Challenge 10 Solution
Objective: Make the pattern blue, blue, red, red, blue, Explanation: This time, there are bits in the path of
blue, red, red… both the red and blue marbles. The bits cause only
every other marble to cross to the other side of the
Required output: board.
x 22
x8 x8 x8 x8
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START

• The starting position of the bit is very important. In this challenge, the
starting positions of the bits are chosen for the player.

This challenge has players go back to using eight of each.
• Two bits allow for a more complicated pattern because players are able to
route the marbles four different directions as they fall from the top.
Possible hang-ups:
• The symbols of the bit in the “Starting setup” shows one pointing right and
one pointing left. Players do NOT get to choose the starting position of the
bit in this challenge.
• While there are four paths for marbles at the top, players only need two
paths once they get to the bottom: one path to trigger the left (blue) lever
and one path to trigger the right (red) lever.

Challenge #11: Selectivity
Challenge 11: Selectivity Challenge 11 Solution
Objective: Flip bits 2 and 5 to the right. Explanation: The top bit splits the path of the blue
marbles. One path leads to bit 2 and the other path
leads to bit 5.
x 15
x2 x0 x2 x0
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
PRESS PRESS
TO TO
START START
23 23

This challenge has players only using two blue marbles.
• The starting position of the bit is very important. If a bit is pointed left, the
marble will fall right. If the bit is pointed right, the marble will fall to the left.
In this challenge, players choose the starting position of the top bit. The

starting position of bits 1 through 5 is left.
• Players don’t have to make the marbles go through every part on the
board.
Possible hang-ups:
This challenge has players only using two blue marbles.
• This challenge has parts in the starting setup that marbles will never go
through.

Educator-Guide-English TuringTumble

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Educator-Guide-English TuringTumble

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Educator-Guide-English TuringTumble

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Educator Guide

Version 2.8 - Covers challenges 1 to 30

This educator guide is a companion to Turing Tumble. Everything is black and

What’s in this guide?

Inside are two types of resources:

1. Lesson curricula: As students progress through the puzzles, there are

2. Help with individual puzzles: We show the puzzle, the solution, an

Turing Tumble is a game where players build mechanical computers powered

What does Turing Tumble teach?

Is this guide useful to you?

Basics for Classroom Use................................................................................................. 1

Single Player or Partners

Puzzles 1-10: 5-15 minutes each to solve

Puzzles 11-20: 10-15 minutes each to solve

Puzzles 21-30: 10-20 minutes each to solve

The remaining puzzles vary greatly from person to person

Independent Learning and Intentional Scaffolding

Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8 1

Getting Started with Turing Tumble video:

Students describe how to get started with Turing Tumble,

How Turing Tumble is a Computer:

This video explains how Turing Tumble is a mechanical

Looking inside a computer processor:

Promotional Educator Video:

This video can be used to promote Turing Tumble within your

2 Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8

Turing Tumble on a Screen

Simulator 1 by Rich Twilton:

This simulator looks very similar to the actual game

Simulator 2 by Jesse Crossen:

Simulator 3 by Lode Vandevenne:

This simulator is easy to learn. You’ll be creating little machines in minutes.

Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8 3

• Make sure each piece is returned to its spot.

4 Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8

Press here to start the

If it pushes down the right If it pushes down the left

Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8 5

The ramp directs marbles to the right or to the left,

The bit adds logic. It stores information by pointing to

When the computer’s objective is complete, the interceptor

Like the bit, the gear bit stores information by pointing

Every kit comes with a small bag of black washers. These

6 Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8

Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8 7

Computer logic lessons

Puzzle-specific educator resources

• What players learn about computer logic

• What players learn about the game

8 Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8

Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8 9

To start, let’s look at what’s inside a regular desktop computer.

10 Turing Tumble Educator’s Guide 2.8

The goopy stuff on top of the processor is thermal paste. It makes it

What’s inside a computer processor?

Switches. Lots and lots of switches. Billions of switches. The switches

How do switches do anything smart?

Since the switches in computer processors and in Turing Tumble are

How Turing Tumble is a Computer Video: