Physics Day at Lagoon - Scrambler Competition
This year we have the opportunity to take up to 40 students to the 28th annual Physics Day at Lagoon - sponsored by Utah State University. Unfortunately, this creates stiff competition - as about a little over 10% of my students can go. Therefore, in addition to the paperwork already listed by the flyer you received in class, I will be sponsoring a Science Olympiad scrambler event either during TEAL and after school between the dates of May 7th - May 10th. The teams of 2 that have the highest score get's the opportunity to go to Lagoon.
To sign up, fill out the form below.
For more information about this event - click on this word to go to this site for more details.
To sign up, fill out the form below.
For more information about this event - click on this word to go to this site for more details.
Introduction
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Scrambler is an event where teams design and build a device that transports a Large Grade A uncooked chicken egg a distance of 30 ft along a straight track as fast as possible. The device should go as straight as possible and stop as close to a dot on the floor 1 mm from the center of a wall, without leaving a 5 ft wide lane or hitting the wall.
(See diagram to the right and the video example below to the right).
Contestants will start with their vehicle and launching device in hand behind the starting line, which is 6 ft behind the launch line. The event and timer will start with a whistle. Contestants will then rush to set up and launch their vehicle and hit the specified target on the floor next to the wall. The team that gets closest to the dot and wall in the shortest amount of time wins.
(See diagram to the right and the video example below to the right).
Contestants will start with their vehicle and launching device in hand behind the starting line, which is 6 ft behind the launch line. The event and timer will start with a whistle. Contestants will then rush to set up and launch their vehicle and hit the specified target on the floor next to the wall. The team that gets closest to the dot and wall in the shortest amount of time wins.
Rules of the Event
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Video Example |
Scoring
Score is calculated by the following formula:
Score = 2 x Stop Time* + Distance from the egg to the wall (cm) + Distance from the egg to the dot (cm) **
Lowest score wins.
Score = 2 x Stop Time* + Distance from the egg to the wall (cm) + Distance from the egg to the dot (cm) **
- The event starts after the whistle is blown. Prior to blowing the whistle, contestants must stand behind the line 2 meters away from the launching site with their scramblers and launchers in hand.
- * Time is calculated from the start of the event with the whistle blow, not the launch. If a 1st run is disqualified, a penalized score is calculated via the continuation of time after the contestants touch their vehicle from the stopping position.
- ** If the scrambler leaves the parallel lines, the officiator will add 2x distance from the egg perpendicular to the parallel lines to the final score.
Lowest score wins.
General Event Suggestions
Firstly and arguably most importantly, read the rules before starting to build. There is nothing more embarrassing to a team than to be disqualified, or moved down a scoring tier, simply because they did not read the rules. Memorize the rules, have the persons who are building it be able to recite the rules verbatim, hold quizzes if necessary. Always check for clarifications on the National Science Olympiad website. When in doubt, submit a clarification request or have your coach contact the event supervisor. There is never a need to stay in the dark when it comes to the rules.
As with any building event, it is always beneficial to plan out your design before building it. Not only will it allow you to be efficient with your raw material purchases, but it may save you some embarrassing rule violations. Again, make sure to check your design against the rules.
Also, this event is characterized by testing. Even the best, most perfect scrambler will fail if it was not tested sufficiently. How does one know when it is tested sufficiently, you ask? Well, if you need to ask, then it is not. You should go and test more. Make sure both people who are doing the event are present during practices; humans are imperfect machines and sometimes get sick during the competitions. Keeping logs is very helpful also, it will allow you to accurately determine what effect did your adjustments have on your scrambler's performance.
Lastly, this event is well, extremely well, simulated by the laws of physics. This is a rarity in building events, and you should definitely take advantage of it. Talk to your physics teacher, search the Internet for the appropriate physics concepts, find equations and use them. This article will attempt to introduce you to some of the concepts, but it cannot explain all of the math and analysis involved.
As with any building event, it is always beneficial to plan out your design before building it. Not only will it allow you to be efficient with your raw material purchases, but it may save you some embarrassing rule violations. Again, make sure to check your design against the rules.
Also, this event is characterized by testing. Even the best, most perfect scrambler will fail if it was not tested sufficiently. How does one know when it is tested sufficiently, you ask? Well, if you need to ask, then it is not. You should go and test more. Make sure both people who are doing the event are present during practices; humans are imperfect machines and sometimes get sick during the competitions. Keeping logs is very helpful also, it will allow you to accurately determine what effect did your adjustments have on your scrambler's performance.
Lastly, this event is well, extremely well, simulated by the laws of physics. This is a rarity in building events, and you should definitely take advantage of it. Talk to your physics teacher, search the Internet for the appropriate physics concepts, find equations and use them. This article will attempt to introduce you to some of the concepts, but it cannot explain all of the math and analysis involved.
General Construction Suggestions
When one looks at the scramblers in a competition, it becomes apparent that some are better built than others. At the competition, the better built scramblers tend to do better than the ones that are built poorly. Always make sure that whatever material you use is straight and sturdy, many teams failed when their cars bent out of shape by the forces of acceleration (this especially applies to materials like metal and plastic). While it often makes sense to create designs that are collapsible for easy transport, many teams that used such designs were plagued by loose tolerances that were imposed on them, often failing to have their scrambler stay in the 2 meter lane. If you use wood, always use screws and glue, never use nails. If you use metal construction kits, make sure everything fits.
You must always balance your construction style between adjustability and stability. Covering every joint with glue may seem like a good idea, but it will make your design be very rigid and unchangeable. Adjustability is very important, as few get their designs to be perfect on the first try, and you should always consider that when choosing a bonding method. In theory, it is always possible to add an extra pair of screws, or even add a nut and bolt fastener and achieve the same stability as a dab of glue. When in doubt, and where weight does not matter, choose fasteners instead of glue. Tip: Use wood instead of breakable materials such as K-nex!
You must always balance your construction style between adjustability and stability. Covering every joint with glue may seem like a good idea, but it will make your design be very rigid and unchangeable. Adjustability is very important, as few get their designs to be perfect on the first try, and you should always consider that when choosing a bonding method. In theory, it is always possible to add an extra pair of screws, or even add a nut and bolt fastener and achieve the same stability as a dab of glue. When in doubt, and where weight does not matter, choose fasteners instead of glue. Tip: Use wood instead of breakable materials such as K-nex!