Thermodynamics B/C

[chalker]

Am I missing something in the rules from section 3a or can we 3D print the box? (Plastic is allowed?)

See general rule #1: https://www.soinc.org/code-ethics-general-rules

[WhatScience?]

Am I missing something in the rules from section 3a or can we 3D print the box? (Plastic is allowed?)

See general rule #1: https://www.soinc.org/code-ethics-general-rules

So they are allowed? Unless this constitutes as violating the spirit of the problem? Which it shouldn't since it's just the use of technology. Right?

[Skink]

Think of it like this: there's nothing intrinsically special about the box, itself, so I can't come up with any way that that could be construed as cheating...it'd seem fine to me, then. General Rule #1 is powerful because it allows creativity or thinking outside of the box.

[cuber]

Could any of you share some reputable links for buying aerogel?

You can get 250cc of granular aerogel from this website: http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main ... ucts_id=89 for only $13.00 (Have made successful purchases from that site in the past).

250cc might be enough, with a custom shell, to create a 1-2cm thick gel barrier around the beaker, plenty considering how well aerogels insulate. Then again, if you wanted to fill up the entire 3,375 cm3 space it would cost you about $160.

[cool hand luke]

the granular is nice and cheap, but I don't see it being competitive if someone is willing to shell out the money to get the larger pieces and build a container of that.

[retired1]

A 2 cm layer of aerogel should be more than adequate. Last time out, our teams used 3 spaced layers or reflective mylar and it worked very well. Being able to use plastic beakers reduces the need for super insulation. The mandatory hole in the top negates a lot of the need for any insulation as heat rises in preference to radiating.
This event is nearly impossible for event supervisors to perfectly execute it, normally lacking enough assistants to record data on a timely basis.
For practice and establishing heat losses in varied conditions, auto temperature recorders that work with a laptop are fairly cheap.
With that big hole in the top, our teams will have to take a very close look at the ice addition. the big problem here is ice is not 0 degrees C. it has to be colder to freeze. That will vary with the time of the day and how long it has been in an ice chest..

Conduction will be a fraction of using glass.
The test and blind dumb luck will be the major factors in my opinion.

[retired1]

A 2 cm layer of aerogel should be more than adequate. Last time out, our teams used 3 spaced layers or reflective mylar and it worked very well. Being able to use plastic beakers reduces the need for super insulation. The mandatory hole in the top negates a lot of the need for any insulation as heat rises in preference to radiating.
This event is nearly impossible for event supervisors to perfectly execute it, normally lacking enough assistants to record data on a timely basis.
For practice and establishing heat losses in varied conditions, auto temperature recorders that work with a laptop are fairly cheap.
With that big hole in the top, our teams will have to take a very close look at the ice addition. the big problem here is ice is not 0 degrees C. it has to be colder to freeze. That will vary with the time of the day and how long it has been in an ice chest..

Conduction will be a fraction of using glass.
The test and blind dumb luck will be the major factors in my opinion.

[cool hand luke]

I don't think your adding ice, I think your adding ice water.
4.e says teams may elect to ad dup to 50 ml of water from an ice bath.

[WhatScience?]

What are the advantages/disadvantages to the ice bath

[retired1]

I had not read the ice bit very closely as I was still hung up on the large opening.
The advantage of adding ice water is you lower the temp of the water in the beaker, so it does not loose as much heat (differential temperatures). I will have to look at the points gained by adding it vs not adding it. If your beaker water is close to the same temp as the air around it, you will have a very very low heat transfer to any of the three methods.