Water and electricity
For current to flow, something has to carry the charge. Very pure water contains very few of those carriers (ions), so it conducts poorly. Tap water, rain, sweat and seawater have substances such as salts dissolved in them, which form ions, so they conduct. The more that is dissolved, the better they conduct.
| Water | Conducts? |
|---|---|
| Very pure water | Barely |
| Tap water, rain | Yes |
| Seawater, salt water | Even better |
Treat all everyday water as conductive, and never touch plugs or appliances with wet hands.
The game’s spark rules
In Sandlab 1.0, Spark is a short-lived spark particle.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Path | Spreads through empty cells touching metal, water or acid (along the surface, not inside) |
| Lifetime | Short, and even shorter in open air with no conductor nearby |
| Ignition | Sets oil, wood, gunpowder, plant and coal within the surrounding eight cells on fire |
| Ice | Melts it into water on contact |
Water in the game does not distinguish pure from salty; it always conducts. Salt simply vanishes on contact with water without changing it.
Building a circuit
Draw a metal wire
Draw a short line in Metal (a premium element). Metal is a fixed solid, so it stays put even in mid-air. Put Gunpowder or Oil at one end; gunpowder is a powder, so draw a stone ledge under it.
Tap spark on the other end
Touch Spark lightly to the far end of the wire with the pen. Yellow sparks run along the wire and light the gunpowder. If the wire is long the spark dies halfway, so shorten it if it does not reach.
Run it across water
Touch spark to the surface of a pool and it spreads across the surface. Float oil on the water first and the spark sets it alight, turning the surface into a sea of fire.
FAQ
Does spark run over acid too?
Yes. In the game metal, water and acid are the three conductors. But acid dissolves neighboring metal, so acid next to a metal wire will cut it.
Doesn’t spark travel along sand or stone?
Sand, stone and glass are not conductors, so spark quickly dies near them.
Sandlab - Falling Sand Physics
No sign-up, and the simulation runs fully offline. Your canvases stay on your device. Free on Android.