Scioly.org

Just like to emphasize: Make sure you tell your partner how to connect the objects (Glue, Tape, Push Into, Wrap, Poke, Etc.)

also...I agree that WIDI is a really fluky event, and possibly the most vague (behind Food Science)

(of course you don't really need detailed training for WIDI as you do Food Sci. This event is teaching you to become those irritating people that write those instructions when your dad tries to build a bench, table, desk, etc.)

It also just happens to be on of those events that has been around for EVER lol, I think this and Astronomy have been events every single year!

I have a question though.

How are penalties awarded to abbreviations? If you put cm and forget to write cm = centimeters, is there a set penalty awarded? Or is it dependent on how often you use cm? Just wondering

Starapollo1 wrote:It also just happens to be on of those events that has been around for EVER lol, I think this and Astronomy have been events every single year!

I have a question though.

How are penalties awarded to abbreviations? If you put cm and forget to write cm = centimeters, is there a set penalty awarded? Or is it dependent on how often you use cm? Just wondering

I'd google a scoresheet if you can find one. OTherwise, I'll try to look for the answer

geminicross wrote:

Starapollo1 wrote:It also just happens to be on of those events that has been around for EVER lol, I think this and Astronomy have been events every single year!

I have a question though.

How are penalties awarded to abbreviations? If you put cm and forget to write cm = centimeters, is there a set penalty awarded? Or is it dependent on how often you use cm? Just wondering

I'd google a scoresheet if you can find one. OTherwise, I'll try to look for the answer

If you post at the top what the abbreviations stand for you should be OK. In your case write at the top cm=centimeters. this is helpful for words like left and right which will be used many times

Also, the rules explain to some extent how penalties will be scored, 1% off for every infraction. I'm not sure if that applies once for each time you use an unlisted abbreviation or just once overall for not listing the abbreviation.

Allinea wrote:

hmcginny wrote: That being said, WIDI is easily the flukiest event in science olympiad and it"s rare (in my experience) to see teams have consistent success.

Heh, yeah. This past year was my second year doing it, and I've had decent places... until state this year when I'm pretty sure me and my partner were DQ'd with no idea why. Regardless, in terms of eloquence? You learn to not do it pretty fast after failing to finish writing at competitions. It's better to have extra time and write redundant instructions in a different way than you did before than to take time to be extremely precise, imo.

So now you're thinking we got DQ'd? THAT my friend, would be a good guess. That caterpillar thing was deceivingly simple!

Yes, well what else would have caused it? I did say five foam balls, and to start a new one for the head, which you then attached onto the body, which you'd already put together with four of them. Logic, my dear sister.

BETTER WRITING, my dear sister!

I'm probably one of the few people who has never used any abbreviations in my three years of WIDI. I don't see the need to, because I write fast and always get finished early(ish) and for some reason my brain sees it as slow if I make a key for the abbreviations, but faster if I just spell out the word. But it works for me, so maybe I'm just a really weird writer.
And I agree that WIDI is a really weird event. My first year, we did really well, placing 4th at state. Then last year we placed 2nd and 20th at Regionals and State, respectively. This year we placed 1st at Regionals, and State is in like two weeks. It's only because they use different materials and have different structures each time, whereas in most of the other events it's pretty much the same thing every year.

Sherry Berry wrote:I'm probably one of the few people who has never used any abbreviations in my three years of WIDI. I don't see the need to, because I write fast and always get finished early(ish) and for some reason my brain sees it as slow if I make a key for the abbreviations, but faster if I just spell out the word. But it works for me, so maybe I'm just a really weird writer.

Nope, you're not alone. My partner is an excellent writer and she never uses any abbreviations. Whatever works for you and your partner is a perfectly legitimate strategy.