Stephen F. Austin State University

 

Physics Olympics Schedule

 

February 26, 2000

 

 

    TIME                                 EVENT                                              LOCATION                                          

 

  8:30   AM                  Registration & Refreshments                 Miller Science (Bldg. #15, Rm. 334)

        

  9:00   AM                  Welcome/Instructions                           Miller Science (Bldg. #15, Rm. 334)

 

  9:15   AM                  Mousetrap Car Race                         Miller Science (Bldg. #15, Rm. 334 Hallway)

 

10:15   AM                  Water Rocket*                                   Intramural Fields (Area #46)

 

11:00   AM                  Get to the Point*                                 Intramural Fields (Area #46)

 

12:00   AM                  Lunch                                                   UC (Bldg. #77, Union Station)

 

  1:00   PM                  Rubberband Boat Race                     Miller Science (Bldg. #15, Rm. 318)

 

  2:00   AM                  Egg Drop*                                           Miller Science (Bldg. #15, Loading Dock)

 

  3:00   PM                  Eggstraction*                                      Tennis Courts (Area #72)

 

  3:45   PM                  Ribbons & Trophies                             Miller Science (Bldg. #15, Rm. 334)

 

*These are outdoor events and will be conducted even if it rains.  Bringing appropriate rain gear is highly recommended.  We shall try to have at least one substitute event in case of any cancellations.

 

 

MOUSETRAP CAR RACE

 

Objective:         Each team is to produce one vehicle powered by a mousetrap.  The vehicle should travel a distance of 10 meters in the shortest possible time.

 

Apparatus:        Each team is responsible for designing and building one mousetrap-powered vehicle prior to the day of the competition.  SFASU will provide the timing system.

 

Regulations:      A mousetrap spring is to provide the sole source of power for the vehicle.  NO other stored energy supplies - including gravitational potential energy - may be released by the spring.

 

                        The trap used to power the vehicle must be sold commercially as a mousetrap.  As such, the trap spring should consist of a steel wire nominally 1.3 mm in diameter wound into a coil nominally 7 mm in diameter with approximately 20 turns. Rat traps, or any other traps with springs differing significantly from that just described, will be disqualified.

 

                        The mousetrap spring and the portion of the trap board to which the spring is attached may not be altered in any way.  The trap restraining arm and other portions of the board may be modified.  In no case should the spring move through an angle of more than 180 degrees.

 

                        The mousetrap must be contained in the vehicle and must propel the vehicle by means of a wheel or wheels in contact with the ground.  A launcher or device that pushes the vehicle is prohibited.

 

                        One wheel of the vehicle must remain in contact with the ground at all times.  The vehicle must remain as a single unit at all times.  The vehicle must have a mass of at least 0.5 kg.  The vehicle must be started from a standstill by releasing the mousetrap spring in a manner that imparts no additional energy to the vehicle, i.e., the vehicle may not be given a push start.

 

                        The race course will consist of a hard, smooth, level surface with lanes for individual vehicles each 10 meters long and 2 meters wide.  The time interval required for each vehicle to cover the 10 meters will be measured from the time the leading edge of the vehicle's front wheel breaks the plane of the starting line to the time the leading edge of the same wheel breaks the plane of the  finish line.  If the vehicle does not travel the entire 10 meters, then the distance traveled from the start will be used to determine the vehicle's score.  If the vehicle leaves the lane from either side, it will be considered stopped when it breaks the plane of the lane boundary.

 

Scoring:            20 points will be awarded to each team that shows up with a viable vehicle.

 

                        40 points will be awarded to each vehicle completing the 10 meter distance. If a vehicle completes a fraction of the full distance, the corresponding fraction of 40 points will be awarded.

 

                        Vehicles completing the 10 meter distance will be awarded up to 40 additional points based on the time required to complete the distance.  The overall fastest time of the day for the entire field of entries will be divided by an individual vehicle's finish time to determine the fraction of 40 points awarded to that vehicle.  The standing overall fastest time will be posted for reference while the competition is in progress.

 

                        Each vehicle will be allowed to complete two runs.  The vehicle's best time/distance will then be used to determine its score.

WATER ROCKET

 

Objective:         To build a rocket from a 2 liter plastic soft drink bottle.

 

Apparatus:        You are to build a rocket from a 2 liter soft drink bottle which uses water and compressed air as a propellant.  You are to employ only a bicycle tire pump to pressurize the rocket.  As an example, you may fit a rubber stopper with a basketball needle through it into the bottle and attach the tire pump to the needle.  Your launch mechanism must safely hold the pressurizing mechanism and contain any stopper or plug which is ejected by the rocket upon launching.  The rocket may have a styrofoam nose cone, cardboard fins and a parachute.  No metal parts are to be on that part of the rocket which leaves the ground.  We suggest that you use extreme care when building and testing your rocket.  It is not worth injuring yourself or someone else for this event.  Wear safety glasses or goggles.  SFASU will provide the timing systems only.  Each team must build their own rocket and launch mechanism prior to the competition and bring these materials (goggles, water, etc.) with them. All parts of the rocket must remain together during flight (even the nose cone).

 

Any mechanism or rocket which is deemed unsafe by the safety committee will be disqualified.

 

Scoring:            Scoring will be based upon the time aloft, the time from when the rocket is launched to the time it strikes the ground.  You might want to consider a parachute!

 

 

 

GET TO THE POINT

 

Objective:         To find a mystery point on campus as accurately as possible using a given list of displacement vectors.

 

Apparatus:        A list of displacement vectors, a protractor, and a flag will be provided by us.

 

Regulations:      Each team will have 15 minutes to complete the task. Team members may not use any measuring devices besides the protractor. Each team member is encouraged to calibrate the length of their stride before the day of the competition. In other words, you should find out how many steps are required to move a distance of 10 meters for example. Here is a list of example displacement vectors:

 

30 meters at 90 degrees

20 meters at 0 degrees

10 meters at 135 degrees

40 meters at 225 degrees

 

Procedure:        Each team will begin at the Miller Science Building with the apparatus above and will try to find the mystery point within 15 minutes. Each team will mark their estimate with a flag.

 

Scoring:            Scoring will be based on the accuracy of the point. The team with their flag placed closest to the actual point is the winner.

 

RUBBERBAND BOAT RACE

 

Objective:         To construct a urethane foil boat powered by rubber bands that traverses a distance of 6’4” in the shortest period of time.

 

Apparatus:        Each team must bring no less and no more than the following: a pair of scissors, a stapler with staples, cutting tools appropriate for work on urethane foil (no power tools), one 8.5" by 11" piece of paper for notes/blueprints, a pencil sharpener

 

We will supply the following: two 4" by 8" sheets of 3/4" thick urethane foil, one standard wooden pencil with flag attached, four 3.5" by 2.5" pieces of rigid cardboard each consisting of two playing cards glued together, two rubber bands each approximately 8" in circumference.

 

No other materials except for staples may be part of the boat.

 

Construction:    1. The boat must be constructed during a ten minute period from the four materials supplied by each team and by us.  An unlimited number of staples may be used. The urethane foil may be cut into any shape and into as many pieces as desired.

2. The boat must be no wider than 4" nor longer than 8".

3. The pencil may be modified or cut into pieces, but the flag must not be. The flag must be positioned such that its center is 4" from the water and it flies parallel to the direction of motion of the boat. This positioning is important as the flag is used in timing the boat.

 

Racecourse:      The course will consist of an 8’x3’x5”  trough filled with water. The starting gate will be placed 10” from one end of the trough and the finish gate will be placed 10” from the other end.

 

Scoring:         1. The boat will be released by one member of the team from the end of the trough nearest the starting gate. The launcher must release the boat without providing it any force.

2. The timer will start when the flag crosses the starting line and end when the flag crosses the finish line.

3. The boat may hit the sides of the trough or take on water without disqualification, but all parts of the boat must finish together.

4. The boat must remain in contact with the water at all times.

5. The winning boat will be the one that finishes the course in the shortest time. In the event of a tie, another set of time trials will be run using the same boats to break the tie. No repairs or modifications will be allowed for re-trials.

 

Note: 4’x8’x3/4” sheets of urethane foil (housing insulation) are available at hardware stores and building supply stores.  Below is a simplified diagram of an acceptable boat. However, this is only one of many possible configurations, and certainly not the most efficient!

EGG DROP

 

Objective:         To design a container that will protect a Grade A Medium egg from a fall of about 13 meters      (3 stories) onto a concrete surface of area approximately 3 m x 2.5 m.

 

Apparatus:        Each team will construct one container before the day of the competition.  Each team will be responsible for the secrecy of their design.  We will provide the eggs and they will be raw.

 

Regulations:      The container must be able to fit inside a box of dimensions 40 cm x 40 cm x 40 cm.  Its mass must be less than 1 kg.  The container may be constructed of any kind of material.

 

Procedure:        The container will be dropped from a hinged board, extending from a balcony over a concrete surface.  The container does not have to survive the fall, but the egg must.  A cracked or broken egg will disqualify the entry.  The egg will be inspected by the judge within one minute of the drop.  Only one drop will be made for each team's device.

 

Scoring:            Scoring will be based on the following equation:

 

                        score = mass + 10 x time

 

                        where mass = mass of the egg container in grams (not including the egg) and

                        time = time in seconds from release of the device till its impact.

 

                        The device with the lowest score is the winner.

 

 

 

EGGSTRACTION

 

Objective:         To design a device operated by one person that will extract a Grade A Medium egg from the middle of a 4.25 meter radius circle.

 

Apparatus:        Each team will construct the device before the day of the competition. Each team will be responsible for the secrecy of their design. We will provide the eggs and they will be raw.

 

Regulations:      The device may be constructed of any kind of material. Participants can use pulleys, motors, carts, remote control vehicles, etc. to move the egg outside of the circle. The operator cannot touch the pavement within the 4.25 meter radius circle and cannot enter the space above the circle (an imaginary vertical cylinder).

 

Procedure:        The circle will be outside on a concrete pavement like a tennis court or on a gym floor covered with plastic if it is raining. The egg will be inspected by the judge within one minute of the extraction. Only one extraction will be made for each team's device. Each team will have 5 minutes to set up the device before the clock starts. No part of the device may be inside the imaginary cylinder before the clock starts.

 

Scoring:            Scoring will be based on time to complete the task. The team with the shortest time is the winner. Tie-breakers will be based on creativity.