Project Specifics

 

1        Mousetrap Powered Egg Delivery Vehicle (MPEDV)

a)      Use a mousetrap spring (Victor brand) as the sole source of stored energy for your vehicle.  Do not use rubber bands, electric motors, CO₂ boosters or any other source for extra energy.

b)      You may cut or bend the mousetrap spring, but you may not chemically alter or heat-treat the spring.

c)      The spring and the raw egg must be easily accessible by the judges.  The egg needs to be quickly removed and inspected following each run.

d)      Safety should be your #1 concern throughout construction and testing.  Be sure to read, understand and follow all warnings and instructions for all tools, equipment and materials you use.  Proper eye protection and ventilation are a must.  Never handle moving parts while still moving.  Always unplug all electrical systems/equipment before working on them.

e)      The vehicle will be tested in the Physics Lab.  You must take a “running start” of 0.25 to 3 meters.  The ramp will be ~ 1 meter in length and will have a grade of approximately 25%.  The distance will be the horizontal displacement measured from the top of the ramp to the point of first impact.

f)        There will be two runs for each car with a maximum of 10 minutes between each run.  The best single performance will be used for final scoring.

g)      The formula used to judge the performance of the vehicle will give the best score for the lightest vehicle that travels furthest in the air (greatest horizontal distance) without the egg cracking or breaking during any part of the trip.

 

2        We Be Cool (WBC)

h)      A standard 12 pack Styrofoam cooler will begin at room temperature.  You will connect your cooling system to the cooler through a 10 cm X 10 cm square hole.  A computer-based temperature monitoring system will track the interior temperature for 5 minutes.  You can choose to have the cooler vented or not.

i)        You may purchase cooling components (i.e. motors, impellers, compressor, tubing, squirrel cage, etc.) but not cooling sub-systems (i.e. water pump, heat exchanger, etc.)

j)        You may not use any aerosols, ice or any other precooled elements.

k)      The cooling mechanism must be easily accessible by the judges.

l)        Safety should be your #1 concern throughout construction and testing.  Be sure to read, understand and follow all warnings and instructions for all tools, equipment and materials you use.  Proper eye protection and ventilation are a must.  Use of dangerous high-pressure systems and/or hazardous materials should be avoided at all costs.  Never handle moving parts while still moving.  Always unplug all electrical systems/equipment before working on them.

m)    The formula used to judge the performance of your cooling system will give the best score for the greatest amount of cooling during 5 minutes of operation.

 

3        Play That Funky Music (PTFM)

n)      Your instrument needs to be able to play all 12 notes (of Western music) within the octave between A₄ and A₅.  Each note must be able to be sustained for at least 5 seconds.

o)      You may purchase/use guitar (or other) strings, but not musical sub-systems (i.e. sound box, fret board, etc.)

p)      Safety should be your #1 concern throughout construction and testing.  Be sure to read, understand and follow all warnings and instructions for all tools, equipment and materials you use.  Proper eye protection and ventilation are a must.  Use of dangerous high-pressure systems and/or hazardous materials should be avoided at all costs.  Never handle moving parts while still moving.  Always unplug all electrical systems/equipment before working on them.

q)      The formula used to judge the performance of your stringed instrument will give the best score for the purest timbre, note precision, and length of measurable sustained sound.

 

4        Play That Funky Music Right (PTFMR)

r)       Your speaker system needs to be able to play all frequencies between 50 Hz and 5,000 Hz with an impedance of 8 W and capable of handling 10 W.  The sound output will be compared to the signal input at a variety of frequencies and your goal is to have that ratio (output/input) remain constant.

s)       You may purchase/use magnets and other cannibalized parts from old speakers, but no complete speaker systems or sub-systems.

t)        Safety should be your #1 concern throughout construction and testing.  Be sure to read, understand and follow all warnings and instructions for all tools, equipment and materials you use.  Proper eye protection and ventilation are a must.  Use of dangerous high-pressure systems and/or hazardous materials should be avoided at all costs.  Never handle moving parts while still moving.  Always unplug all electrical systems/equipment before working on them.

u)      The formula used to judge the performance of your speaker system will give the best score for the flattest frequency response.

 

5        You Light Up My Life (YLUML)

a)      Your lighting system must be self contained other than external electrical service (if needed).  That is, you should be able to pick “it” up and maneuver it about.  Mounting various parts on a board would suffice.  External looks count…

b)      The system needs to be capable of at least 3 different “features”.  Effects lighting would merely require 3 different effects.  Intelligent lighting would require 2-D steering of the beam and at least 2 “looks”.  LASER effects require at least 3 different patterns or projections.

c)      You may purchase/use lamps and other cannibalized parts from old lighting fixtures, but no complete stage lighting systems or sub-systems may be used

d)      Safety should be your #1 concern throughout construction and testing.  Be sure to read, understand and follow all warnings and instructions for all tools, equipment and materials you use.  Proper eye protection and ventilation are a must.  Use of dangerous high-pressure systems and/or hazardous materials should be avoided at all costs.  Never handle moving parts while still moving.  Always unplug all electrical systems/equipment before working on them.

e)      Performance will be judged primarily by aesthetics.

 

6        Calling Art Bell (CAB)

a)      You need to consider all aspects of this round trip, including (but not necessarily limited to): human physiology, structure of matter, space-time, position, velocity, acceleration, and souvenirs.  Your biggest challenge will be to artfully weave all of the Modern Physics topics into your solution.

b)      You may not plagiarize!  Be sure that your solution draws on many sources.

c)      You will be judged on the creativity and reasonableness of your solution (according to the judge).