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Virginia Science Olympiad: BUILDING EVENTS Div C. Building Events. Helicopters Mission Possible Mousetrap Vehicle Sounds of Music Tower Building. BASICS TO REMEMBER. Each device should be clearly labeled with the team name and number
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Virginia Science Olympiad: BUILDING EVENTS Div C
Building Events • Helicopters • Mission Possible • Mousetrap Vehicle • Sounds of Music • Tower Building
BASICS TO REMEMBER • Each device should be clearly labeled with the team name and number • change: Helicopter motors, Mission Possible, Mousetrap Vehicle, & Tower must be impounded • Any student on the team may help build, impound, and/or compete with the device • FOLLOW THE RULES!
SAFETY REGULATIONS • Under each event description there is a section for “eye protection” followed by a number • Descriptions of what these numbers refer to appear on the www.soinc.org under “events” • For most events the regular lab goggles with indirect vents will work (#4, ANSI Z87) • For Mousetrap Vehicle - #5 or high impact goggles/spectacles must be worn – that is they must be rated ANSI Z87+
Helicopters Teams of 2 construct and test rubber-powered helicopters for maximum flight times
Helicopters • Teams can make 2 official flights with either the same helicopter or 2 different helicopters • “motors” must be impounded • Longest flight wins; 2nd flight is used as tie breaker • Tier 2 – construction and/or competition violations
Helicopters • Functional components must be constructed from wood, paper, plastic film covering, and glue – NO RIGID PLASTIC • Components may be attached to each other with tape, thread, paper, metal, plastic tubes, and/or rubber bands • NO pre-glued, or pre-covered surfaces (basically – students must construct their own rotors)
Helicopters • The total mass of the helicopter must be a minimum of 4.0 g without the motor • Motors (+ o-rings if used for attaching) cannot exceed a mass of 2.0 g • Rotors (up to 3) cannot exceed a diameter of 40.0 cm
Helicopters - materials • Very light tissue paper or mylar film • balsa wood • Super glue, spray glue • Winder, O-rings, plastic bushings • http://www.faimodelsupply.com/, http://www.freedomflightmodels.com/ • http://www.pitsco.com/
Mission Possible • Design a Rube-Goldberg type device that completes certain tasks • impound
Mission Possible – rules & tips • Device must fit in 50 cm x 50 cm x 80 cm imaginary box of any orientation – consider building an open box for students to build in • Read rules for specifics on voltage limits, allowed liquids, allowed electrical components, etc. • Find students with creative minds who know some electronics
Mission Possible - rules • A list of tasks is given in the rules • Students must start with task 3a : Drop a US quarter from above the entire device . The quarter must physically touch and snap a mousetrap that will begin the chain of events.
Mission Possible - rules • Students must end with task 3n : Raise a sign completely above the top of the device using a single pre-filled helium balloon. The balloon must remain tethered to the device with a string
Mission Possible - rules • Teams may choose 8 additional tasks (3b-3m) that can be completed in any order – students turn in a task sequence list (TSL) • Tasks are worth different amounts of points • The device can run for a max. of 3 mins., but only earns time points for 60 secs. at Regionals and 60-90 secs. at States (2 pts/sec)
Mission Possible - scoring • Highest score wins • See rules for points breakdown and penalties • With the new format – if a team submits a device that has only the starting and finishing tasks, that works, meets specs, turns in a TSL, the team can earn 500+ points • No tiers
Mousetrap Vehicle Students build a vehicle that is propelled by 1 or 2 mousetraps and can push a plastic cup out a distance and return to a point behind the starting line * impound
Mousetrap Vehicle - basics • Only unmodified commercial mousetraps may be used with bases less than 6.0 cm x 12.0 cm • Items may be added to the moustrap, but the structural integrity of the mousetrap may not be altered and no holes can be made in the mousetrap • mousetrap can be attached by taping, tying, gluing, soldering, or clamping
Mousetrap Vehicle - basics • the device must fit in a 1.0 m x 1.0 m box in start mode; no height restriction • the device must work in 1 piece • all energy must originate from the mousetrap • the device must be triggered by a perpendicular motion of a pencil, dowel, or similar device • the device must stop and reverse on its own • only the wheels & drive string may contact the track • a fixed pointed object must be on the perimeter of the vehicle 1 cm from the track
Mousetrap Vehicle - basics • students may start the device anywhere along the start • line (there is a bonus if the vehicle stays within the • 1.00 m track width) • The fixed point does not have to be on the start line • The vehicle does not have to be behind the start line • students have 10 minutes to set up and run 2 trials • students may not follow the vehicle down the track or go to their vehicle until called by event supervisor
Mousetrap Vehicle - scoring • lowest score wins • score = distance score + lane bonus + time score
Mousetrap Vehicle - scoring distance score = the point-to-line-distance (perpendicular) in cm (to 0.1 cm) from the nearest edge of cup to 3 m line + the point-to-point distance in cm from fixed point on vehicle to center of minus 4 m line (both are positive measurements)
Mousetrap Vehicle - scoring • Lane bonus: -30 points for vehicles who’s fixed point remains in the 1.00 m lane • Time score: the time of the run measured to 0.01 sec x 1 at regionals and x 2 at states
Mousetrap Vehicle – other notes • the vehicle must reverse in 3 seconds • a recoil is not a reverse • not reversing adds 1500 points to the score • not pushing the cup = 300 point cup distance score • vehicles not passing 1.5 meters = 500 points • tier 2: competition violations • tier 3: construction violations
Sounds of Music • Students will build 1 wind and 1 percussion instrument that they will play on-site and answer questions about their operation
Sounds of Music - construction • with the exception of strings, no commercial parts of instruments may be used; no electronic devices are permitted • wind instrument – a column of air (or resonator) is set into vibration by a person blowing into or over it • percussion instrument – produces sound when hit with an implement, shaken, scraped, or any action that sets the instrument into vibration
Sounds of Music – competition • Part 1 • each instrument must be able to play a 12 tone tempered scale in a specified range • Wind – C major (C4 to C5) • Percussion – G major (G2 to G3) • the instruments must play a required piece (in rules) and a chosen piece; both pieces must be notated by the students and submitted to the event supervisor and must contain melody and harmony in range
Sounds of Music • Part 2 • the interview • team members will be asked to play a note from their scale which will be judged for accuracy (tuner) • teams will be rated on creativity, originality, variety, workmanship
Sounds of Music • Part 3 • the test (written and/or interview) • teams will be asked about construction, tuning, how it makes sound, volume, pitch • teams must be able to explain basic principles of sound, wave theory, accoustics, harmonics, Bernoulli Effect • scoring is based on parts 1, 2, &3 – specific score sheet in rules
Towers • Students design a tower with best efficiency • up to 15 kg of mass will be tested • impounded
Towers - basics • Important measurements: • Must be a min. of 50 cm above test base • Must span 20x20 cm opening on test base • Must pass through 8 cm diameter hole 15 cm above test base
Towers - basics • Other things to note: • Must be wood and glue (no bamboo, laminates, etc.) • No maximum wood size • Must support 5x5x2 cm block w/ ¼ “ threaded rod 50 cm above test base • Chain must hang within 2.5 cm of center of test base when bucket attached
Towers - scoring • The score is pure efficiency: • Efficiency = (mass held)2 bridge mass • Bridges that don’t meet specs are tested but moved to tier 2 • Bridges that are untestable are in tier 3 and ranked by mass
Towers - tips • Balsa has best weight to strength ratio – order online for better pieces (http://www.modernss.com/ has good balsa, cutters, etc.) • Glue adds the most weight – use sparingly • Have students draw plans, cover with clear packing tape and work on top of plan • Keep everything symmetrical, level, square