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From my experience, 1/16 wasn't strudy enough. It would bend back far too much. I plan on trying 3/32 next. My favorite material so far has been cereal box cardboard. I might end up going back to that.

Last year, we tried ceareal box cardboard, plastic from soda bottles, but we ended up using 3/32 balsa. It was very effective. Last year at regionals one team pealled the plastic of the CD, cut it in half, and put the 2 halves together. It won

Littleboy wrote:Last year, we tried ceareal box cardboard, plastic from soda bottles, but we ended up using 3/32 balsa. It was very effective. Last year at regionals one team pealled the plastic of the CD, cut it in half, and put the 2 halves together. It won

What? I don't understand, can you elaborate on how that worked?

illusionist wrote:From my experience, 1/16 wasn't strudy enough. It would bend back far too much. I plan on trying 3/32 next. My favorite material so far has been cereal box cardboard. I might end up going back to that.

Really, 1/16 was too flimsy? You may have just gotten soft wood, my 1/16 is fine and i just got my 1/32 which is just as good, lighter of course...but yes we have gotten high scores with cereal box cardboard as well!

are you talking bass or balsa, because balsa is definitely too weak. I was thinking soda bottles would work well, and those stiff wide blinds, because they have the natural curve already. It is unfortunate that we can't work in metal, wire would be great.

Balsa really isn't that flimsy...w/e. Anyway, what masses have you guys gotten for your blade set ups? I've been around 4 grams..

lllazar wrote:Would 3/32 be sturdy enough to not flop around? Also, what is the equation for power that will be used....i know it's Fd/t but we just learned this in physics yesterday and i don't know how to derive a formula for electrical power generated.

You'll actually use an entirely different equation set for electricity. Essentially, P=IV (power equals current times voltage). Using Ohm's law, V=IR (voltage equals current times resistance), you can substitute in variables accordingly. The scoring section gives you one such formula, where voltage is monitored and resistance is known: V^2/R.

Last year (when the event was called physics lab), there was a minimum radius. I don't see any minimum radius in the rules, has it been removed?

gsingh2011 wrote:Last year (when the event was called physics lab), there was a minimum radius. I don't see any minimum radius in the rules, has it been removed?

It's now a maximum radius. It's due to the way they calculate the score; it's based on power now. Maximum voltage means spin-as-fast-as-possible, so the smaller the better. Maximum power means spin-really-fast-with-lots-of-strength, and the bigger the better. See previous posts for details.

What do people think of manilla folders? I've gotten about 1 volt on high with that.