Virginia Science Olympiad:

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Virginia Science Olympiad BUILDING EVENTS Div C
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Building Events

• Helicopters
• Mission Possible
• Mousetrap Vehicle
• Sounds of Music
• Tower Building

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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!

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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

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

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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)

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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

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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/

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Mission Possible

• Design a Rube-Goldberg type device that completes
  certain tasks
• impound

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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

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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.

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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

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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)

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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

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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
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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

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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

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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

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Mousetrap Vehicle - scoring

• lowest score wins
• score distance score lane bonus time score

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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)
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Mousetrap Vehicle - scoring

• Lane bonus -30 points for vehicles whos 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

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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

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Sounds of Music

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Towers

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

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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

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Towers - basics
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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

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Towers - scoring

• The score is pure efficiency
• Efficiency (mass held)2
  bridge mass
• Bridges that dont meet specs are tested but
  moved to tier 2
• Bridges that are untestable are in tier 3 and
  ranked by mass

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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