People who think it’s acceptable to push others are the worst. They are intolerable. I would gladly throw them into a massive pit filled with creepers, if it didn’t make me guilty of obvious hypocrisy.
Ah, but the piston – a block in the world of Minecraft Pocket Edition that pushes other blocks – is something I truly enjoy!
Pistons can push blocks up to twelve blocks in a row when powered by redstone. When activated, the head of the piston extends outwards for a brief moment. Any entities in the path of the piston’s head will be pushed along with it, including players and even slime blocks from MCPE.
However, there’s also the slightly annoying sibling of the piston – the sticky piston. Made from a slime ball, the sticky piston can push blocks just like a piston, but when the power is turned off, its head pulls back any items it was touching. Gross.
This concept is quite simple, yet the applications are vast. You can use pistons to create automatic farms that irrigate when you flip a switch and gather all the crops in one convenient spot for collection. You can build enormous, extravagant doors or hidden rooms in the world of Minecraft PE. With enough effort, you could even construct gate algorithms and clocks, which are essential components for more complex creations.
Pistons in the real world differ somewhat from pistons in Minecraft. They are components of internal combustion engines that power cars and other moving objects. When fuel ignites in the engine, the force of the explosion is captured by the piston and used to turn the crankshaft, creating rotation. They are also found in pumps, where they can be utilized to move liquids from one place to another. “Dude, this piston really sucks. Good job!” is a joke you should tell people working in engine manufacturing. I’m sure they’ll find it hilarious!
Through some experimentation, you’ll discover that there are several blocks that pistons in Minecraft cannot push. Obsidian and bedrock are too heavy. There are also command blocks and End portals. Some blocks can be pushed but not pulled, such as terracotta, which breaks when pushed. The effects vary slightly between versions of Minecraft Pocket Edition, so be sure to check the components of any new machine before building it, especially if it uses an unusual block.
Essentially, with two pistons, two redstone blocks, two slime blocks, and a sticky piston, you can even create a flying machine. The Minecraft Wiki has some interesting tutorials on how to do this.
