Scioly.org

chalker7 wrote:

foreverphysics wrote: I'm considering using the system to pull weights up the ramp. Not allowed-->technically not pulling, or parallel task?

Ah, well don't consider this an official clarification, for that you have to go to soinc.org and submit a question. However, if I were judging (and I probably won't be for this event), I would say that method involves pushing the weight up a ramp, not pulling it. Look on earlier threads for the parallel tasks question (we've discussed it at length, possibly in previous years), but basically if the rack and pinion failed, the weight would slide down the ramp and the tasks would not complete, so they are not parallel tasks.

So if I made it so that I pulled on the the pinion and gear system to make it move, would that be considered "pulling" or "pushing"?

foreverphysics wrote: So if I made it so that I pulled on the the pinion and gear system to make it move, would that be considered "pulling" or "pushing"?

I'm not sure how you will make it such that rack will be removable so it can be weighed and be considered the mass for the task, but possibly. It will be basically impossible to tell you if it will be legal without seeing in person on the day of competition. My best advice is to make it simple and don't confuse or make the event supervisor think about the rules too much. The more the supervisor has to think about the rules, the more opportunity they will have to say your device is not legal.

I use sand as a granular material for my paddle wheel, but it creates a cloud of dust when the wheel goes (not sand, just a cloud of dust), would this count as something going outside the box during the operation?

DaMinecraftNerd wrote:I use sand as a granular material for my paddle wheel, but it creates a cloud of dust when the wheel goes (not sand, just a cloud of dust), would this count as something going outside the box during the operation?

I would try to filter out all the super-small sand particles and just get rid of them. If a visible amount of dust exits your box (judged by the event supervisor), it should count as a penalty.

Just about done with the build and now on to dialing everything in -

I did have a question about impound. We'll likely roll the whole box in on a dolly or wagon of some sort as the entire device weighs over 50 pounds. We will also have a separate bag containing tools for setting up (screwdrivers, tape, spare parts etc) Does everything (including set up tools and dolly) get impounded? Will the device have to be moved again after impound and if so is the apparatus used to move the device considered part of the device? - I hope not.

Anyway - the question has already been submitted for official clarification but wanted to hear what people here thought.

riceman wrote: I did have a question about impound. We'll likely roll the whole box in on a dolly or wagon of some sort as the entire device weighs over 50 pounds. We will also have a separate bag containing tools for setting up (screwdrivers, tape, spare parts etc) Does everything (including set up tools and dolly) get impounded? Will the device have to be moved again after impound and if so is the apparatus used to move the device considered part of the device? - I hope not.

Different event supervisors handle impound differently, so this is best asked of your tournament director, not the national site. Personally, I'd plan on all the scenarios you listed just to be on the safe side, so impound the tools, consider the dolly AND TOOL BAG to be part of the device dimension restrictions, and that you might have to move the device after impound.

I'm new to this event, so I'm probably going to be asking quite a few questions.

The first one I'd like to ask is what can or cannot be used as a mass?

Tahmmy wrote:
I'm new to this event, so I'm probably going to be asking quite a few questions.

The first one I'd like to ask is what can or cannot be used as a mass?

There aren't any restrictions listed in the rules, so general rule #2 (http://soinc.org/ethics_rules) and safety considerations are all you would have to worry about.

Do non-scorable tasks count towards the 8 additional task limit?

For Task J "Move an pour granular material....."
Can the container that is receiving the granular material have an open bottom? (IE Have a funnel as a container and directing it the final task)
If so, how will the height be determined? (From the top opening of the container, or the bottom opening of the container)
Also, When measuring the IMA of a lever, instead of measuring the distance moved by the work and load, can we measure the distance between the work and load from the fulcrum, as those have the same ratios?
Thank you very much in advance