Virginia Science Olympiad: BUILDING EVENTS Div C

1. Virginia Science Olympiad: BUILDING EVENTS Div C

2. Building Events • Helicopters • Mission Possible • Mousetrap Vehicle • Sounds of Music • Tower Building

3. 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!

4. 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+

5. Helicopters Teams of 2 construct and test rubber-powered helicopters for maximum flight times

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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/

10. Mission Possible • Design a Rube-Goldberg type device that completes certain tasks • impound

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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)

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. Mousetrap Vehicle - scoring • lowest score wins • score = distance score + lane bonus + time score

21. 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)

22. 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

23. 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

24. Sounds of Music • Students will build 1 wind and 1 percussion instrument that they will play on-site and answer questions about their operation

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. Towers • Students design a tower with best efficiency • up to 15 kg of mass will be tested • impounded

30. 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

31. Towers - basics

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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