Something’s Fishy Around Here!
or Fish Weight Powered Car Contest
Rules
1. Your task is to construct a car powered by a fishing weight.
2. The maximum dimensions of your car are 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm.
3. The only source of energy permitted is the potential energy due to gravity of the fishing weight which will be provided.
4. No other part of the car may be used to provide additional energy.
5. Neither the weight nor any part of the car other than the wheels may come in contact with any other object, barring accidental contact with a wall, etc.
6. The device must be self starting with no push or pull.
7. The score is determined by the distance traveled, unguided, measured as a straight line from the starting point to the point on the car farthest from the starting point.
8. If the car falls over, the distance is measured from the point on the car nearest the starting point.
9. The time that the car is continuously moving will also be measured.
10. All parts of the car must begin and end as a whole.
11. The wheels on your car must not have begun their useful life as wheels. Recycling is encouraged.
12. All contestants must have fun!
CONTESTS:
A. Points will be given for the cars traveling the greatest distance, measured as described above.
B. Points will be given for the car that continues moving the greatest time.
C. Additional points will be given for decoration.
Balloon Car Contest
Rules:
1. Students will build the fastest model car powered only by an air-filled
balloon.
2. Any materials may be used, but the sole source of
propulsion must be the air escaping from the balloon. The
balloon will be provided by the teacher.
3. The track will be a 3-meter stretch of floor in our classroom. Two trials will be allowed.
4. The car must have wheels that did not begin their useful life as wheels, and it must move along the floor.
5. Scoring will be 100 points, minus 1 point per second
of travel, and minus 1 point for every 10 centimeters short of
the finish line.
6. Time will be measured from the moment the car
crosses the starting line to the moment it crosses the finish
line (or it stops moving if it doesn’t make the finish line).
Sailing, Sailing
Sailboats use the energy in wind to move. The factors that affect a sailboat’s movement are the force and direction of the wind as well as the size, shape, and balance of the boat. All sailboats have a hull, a sail attached to the hull and held aloft by a mast, and some form of ballast to keep the boat from flipping over in the wind. In general the more wind a boat can capture in its sails without overturning, the faster it will go. Real sailboats use complex wing-like sail shapes, long and streamlined full shapes, and precisely balanced ballast placement to maximize performance in a variety of conditions.
Purpose: To design, build, and sail a model sailboat for competition with other student made boats. Factors to explore include sail size and arrangement, the weight and placement of ballast, and full shape as it relates to stability and drag.
Materials:
For hull: milk carton, plastic bottle, aluminum foil
For sail: paper, aluminum foil, plastic sheeting, Saran ™ wrap, plastic bag
For mast: pencil, wooden dowel, bamboo skewers, twigs, straws
For ballast: rocks, marbles, fish weights, florist’s clay
Optional needs: tape glue, paperclips, scissors, string
To test boats: gutter filled with water, fan with at least two speeds, stop watch
(Teacher will provide testing materials approximately one week in advance.)
Procedure:
- You may use only the materials listed to make your sailboat.
- Be sure that your sailboat will fit in the gutter before the day of testing.
- Construct your sailboat and name her.
- Be sure to test your boat at both speeds of the fan before due date.
- On testing day: Each boat will be tested three times at the low speed of the fan and three times at the high speed of the fan. The fastest time of each set of trials will count. The best low fan speed time and the best high fan speed time for each boat will be averaged together. The team with the lowest average time gets 100. Other grades will be calculated proportionally.
- Turn in a journal (at least two pages handwritten) about your design, problems that you faced, and materials that you tried. Try to put it into a diary (dated) form detailing your efforts to create the best sailboat.
Tennis Ball Catapult
Rules:
1. Students will build a catapult that will launch a tennis ball that comes as close as possible to a target 10 meters away.
2. Any mechanical means of may be used. No explosives!!
3. The entire device may not be more than 1.5 meters in any dimension.
4. The target area will be a 20 centimeter square.
5. The catapult must be freestanding and have a trigger-type release mechanism.
6. Scoring will be 500 points minus 1 point per centimeter away from the target area.
7. Distance will be measured from the closest edge of the target area to where the tennis ball lands. (I roll the tennis balls in chalk so they leave a nice mark on the ground where they land.)
Rube Goldberg Machine
Challenge
- The challenge changes on an annual basis and will be posted on the official
- Rube Goldberg Machine Contest website (www.rubegoldberg.com).
Machine Specifications
- The machine must complete the task as described in the challenge.
- The machine must be no larger than 6 ft x 6 ft x 6ft.
- The machine must have a minimum of twenty (20) steps. There is no maximum number
- of steps.
- The machine must run for no more than two (2) minutes per run.
- The machine will have a maximum twenty (20) minute reset time.
- No corporate logos or names may be displayed on the machines unless
- provided by RGI.
- No live animals may be used in the machine.
- The machine must not imply profane, indecent or lewd expressions.
- Any loose or flying objects must remain within the set boundaries of the machine. This
- includes, but is not limited to, drops of water, slivers of balloon, and other “small”
- objects. Steam and other gasses are exempt from this rule.
- The machine may utilize one (1) air compressor hose and one (1) power cord. No other
- cords may be run to or from the machine. (Host site determines availability)
- No flames may be used on the machine.
- No hazardous materials or explosives can be used on the machine.
- The machine must be safe to the satisfaction of the RGMC officials. The contest
- Chairman must approve any questionable items prior to competition.
- Any destructive action against another machine is grounds for disqualification.
