General Mission Possible

[chalker]

A couple of quick questions: For task 4d, would a bolt or threaded rod be usable as the screw in this task? And for 4l, could you use the same mass for the task, pull the mass up the ramp, release it down the ramp and have it pulled back up again? I would think that as long as the task was initiated by the prior task it would be acceptable. That being said, if the raising of the mass was to begin the raising of the mass again, would that be acceptable? This is not a rant but just the beginning of many questions that I believe make this the best event to watch and judge in science olympiad.

Note this is not the place for official clarifications, so you should really consider submitting these to the soinc.org website. That said, I think in 4d the term screw is intended in the 'simple machine' sense (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw) thus a bolt should be acceptable.

I'm not sure what you mean about 4l releasing it back down the ramp. Can you clarify?

[rmp509]

hey im new to this event and i heard its really hard. I wanted to try to read over the rules and maybe get a bsic idea on what im planning to do but my school hasnt ordered rule books, so does anyone know if they can post the rules if they have them. thnx soo much

[chalker7]

hey im new to this event and i heard its really hard. I wanted to try to read over the rules and maybe get a bsic idea on what im planning to do but my school hasnt ordered rule books, so does anyone know if they can post the rules if they have them. thnx soo much

Science Olympiad has a copyright banning the reproduction of the rules and these forums specifically say you cannot post the rules. So, you'll just have to wait until you get your rules manual. That being said, a lot of the ideas from previous years boards and the wiki will still apply and be useful, so I'd browse those.
Also, Mission isn't really hard, it just requires a lot of time. My biggest piece of advice is to plan things out before you get to building. If you just start throwing components together, you'll find you have to repair things all the time and won't necessarily have the most reliable tasks.

[abator]

Can't wait were are starting today
Now we are plating with mousetraps we are not getting much done.

[rmp509]

I WANNA GET STARTED SO BAD BUT WE STILL DONT HAVE RULEBOOKS i looked at other contraptions from last year and it looks as if this event can get really annoying in making sure every single component works

[abator]

At summer camp we did this event in a week. It won 1st. The problem wasn't 100% the parts all working together but it was that you had to have great teamwork and work on it together. That I believe can cause more problems.

[foreverphysics]

We compete for the spots.
And I WILL get one of them.
Seven years is too long to not get one.

[space scientist]

I have a question about the final task (I know that this is not the place for clarifications, but I want to get a general opinion.). Rule 4.m says, "The weight of the granular material must be the only force turning the paddle wheel;" Would pouring the granular material from a large height near the top of the device violate this rule since the granular material would gain momentum from falling?

[chalker7]

I have a question about the final task (I know that this is not the place for clarifications, but I want to get a general opinion.). Rule 4.m says, "The weight of the granular material must be the only force turning the paddle wheel;" Would pouring the granular material from a large height near the top of the device violate this rule since the granular material would gain momentum from falling?

That would almost certainly be fine, submit an official clarification for an official response. We did not want things such as spring-loaded axles or counterweights that could result in massive scores.

[space scientist]

I have 2 more questions. Are motors allowed to be running after the completion of the final task, and are pulleys allowed to be used to reduce friction/create a mechanical advantage on task 4.l (The requirements listed are, "Special Task: Pull a mass up a ramp at least 10 cm (vertical), causing the next action.")