Mousetrap Vehicle C

robotman
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 1447
Joined: June 29th, 2008, 7:37 pm
Division: Grad
State: TX
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 3 times
Contact:

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by robotman »

since the rules dont seem to specify it i would highly recommend sending in a rule clarification since my statement was based off past rules
Edit the Wiki.
Upload to the Image Gallery
[medals]Get Medals[/medals]
[chat][/chat]
penclspinner
Member
Member
Posts: 175
Joined: June 1st, 2006, 10:48 pm
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by penclspinner »

croman74 wrote:Oh, ok. Thanks for that clarification. The rules really don't specify it.
They do mention it but maybe not explicitly.
6.b.i explains what minimum distance you are targeting for
6.d explains what maximum distance you are trying to not go exceed.
Flavorflav
Member
Member
Posts: 1388
Joined: February 5th, 2006, 7:06 am
Division: Grad
State: NY
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 3 times

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by Flavorflav »

penclspinner wrote:
croman74 wrote:Oh, ok. Thanks for that clarification. The rules really don't specify it.
They do mention it but maybe not explicitly.
6.b.i explains what minimum distance you are targeting for
6.d explains what maximum distance you are trying to not go exceed.
Actually, it is pretty explicit. You must cross the 7 m line or receive a penalty of 1000 points (rule 6.b.i). You must not cross the 8 m line, or you will receive a penalty of 50 points (rule 6.d). Other than that, it doesn't matter how far you go unless you fail to reverse - it matters where you stop. If you fail to reverse, then you want to go as close to 7 m as you can, but you will be in the 2nd tier (rule6.b.ii).
User avatar
jesimine10~IRL
Member
Member
Posts: 3
Joined: April 2nd, 2007, 7:26 pm
Division: C
State: IN
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by jesimine10~IRL »

Flavorflav wrote:
penclspinner wrote:
croman74 wrote:Oh, ok. Thanks for that clarification. The rules really don't specify it.
They do mention it but maybe not explicitly.
6.b.i explains what minimum distance you are targeting for
6.d explains what maximum distance you are trying to not go exceed.
Actually, it is pretty explicit. You must cross the 7 m line or receive a penalty of 1000 points (rule 6.b.i). You must not cross the 8 m line, or you will receive a penalty of 50 points (rule 6.d). Other than that, it doesn't matter how far you go unless you fail to reverse - it matters where you stop. If you fail to reverse, then you want to go as close to 7 m as you can, but you will be in the 2nd tier (rule6.b.ii).

Thanks! I felt that I knew what was going on with the 7min/8max rule, but it's nice to know I have outside confirmation on my take on that portion of the rules. :]
LIVESTRONG
Paradox21
Staff Emeritus
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 395
Joined: January 11th, 2009, 7:10 am
Division: Grad
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by Paradox21 »

Clearly a key part of this event is minimizing axle-frame friction. It will rob you of speed and distance if it is too high. I have been using silicone lubricant on my axle and frame, which are both plastic. Does anyone have opinions on the best lubricants for different surfaces?
When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.
robotman
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 1447
Joined: June 29th, 2008, 7:37 pm
Division: Grad
State: TX
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 3 times
Contact:

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by robotman »

Well I had the problem that my string would catch on the drive axle and found the best lubricant for string was beeswax.
causes it to not stick but still have enough friction to move the axle.
And for the axles i used WD-40 or something of the same general concept
Edit the Wiki.
Upload to the Image Gallery
[medals]Get Medals[/medals]
[chat][/chat]
Dark Sabre
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 705
Joined: January 4th, 2004, 5:53 pm
Division: Grad
State: KY
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by Dark Sabre »

Another traditional lubricant would be graphite powder. If one of your surfaces were porous, it would probably work longer than liquid lubricants, but for plastic on plastic I'm not sure if it would be better or worse than anything else.
cypressfalls Robert
Exalted Member
Exalted Member
Posts: 499
Joined: January 6th, 2009, 7:54 pm
Division: Grad
State: TX
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by cypressfalls Robert »

I saw a video on youtube where someone made a mousetrap car with huge wheels on the back axle and small wheels on the front axle. The interesting thing was that the rod connected to the mousetrap that pulled the car forwards was a fishing rod. The rod was like another elastic force pulling the car forward because when the mousetrap was barely , like a centimeter or two, coming up, the rod was in an arch like shape pulling the string. Also, because of the way the car was contructed(all wood, made for a tech class) the speed was reletively low.

So here is my question, could we possibly do the same?
fleet130
Staff Emeritus
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 433
Joined: November 10th, 2001, 3:06 pm
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by fleet130 »

This question has come up often in the past. In my opinion, the answer lies in whether or not the energy stored in the rod is derived from the mousetrap, or is in addition to it. With the mousetrap bail in the "locked and loaded" position, is the rod bent from its relaxed state? If so, it contains energy in addition to that stored in the mousetrap and therefore violates the rules. If the rod is bent only after the mousetrap is released. the energy stored in the rod is derived from the mousetrap and does not violate the rules.

This may be subject to different interpretation by diffefent judges. Only the judge at the tournament where you will compete can answer the question with any degree of certainty.
Information expressed here is solely the opinion of the author. Any similarity to that of the management or any official instrument is purely coincidental! Doing Science Olympiad since 1987!
cypressfalls Robert
Exalted Member
Exalted Member
Posts: 499
Joined: January 6th, 2009, 7:54 pm
Division: Grad
State: TX
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: Mousetrap Vehicle C

Post by cypressfalls Robert »

yes, the rod is in a relaxed state before the mousetrap is set, so I will assume it does not violate any rules. ultimately this decieion does rely on the tournament judges. :oops:
Locked

Return to “2010 Build Events”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 2 guests