User:Cheesy pie

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=Cheesy Pie's Advice on Events=

Bottle Rocket
Use a backslider. And make a wind resistant rocket. My first year doing this saw somewhat strong winds - and a rocket falling apart due to it. I also heard somewhere that you should place the fins at a 20-30 degree angle. I'd also recommend using 3 fins. Less mass to lower its height. On the event Wiki, it says to have the center of gravity above the center of pressure, so I'd also recommend that. Another piece of advice is, if you have the winding fins, place the bottom of the fins facing towards the wind. Then the rocket will spin in the right direction and propel itself upwards, not downwards.

Above all, make sure that your rocket is legal by the event rules. You want to be able to compete, right?

Can't Judge a Powder
I'd recommend that you split the work up between you and your partner. One of you writes, the other tests. I have VERY messy handwriting, but near-OCD for correct measurements. My partner has MUCH neater handwriting than me. So she did the writing, while I did the testing. I am recommending this method because we used it and got first at regionals. Also, look for really superficial things, like the bag number. We SERIOUSLY got that question.

Both of you can add last-minute notes.

Fossils
This is a tough event, not because the questions are exponentially difficult, but because you get so little time to answer the questions. At the Illinois 2011 Regionals, there were 13 stations, with only 3 minutes per station. Yet fellow SciOlyers consider me lucky. I know that you and your partner will not have time to answer every question, but as long as you've tried, don't fret. My partner and I couldn't answer at least a fifth of the questions, yet we got first in the event. Her mother's quote: "You don't have to outrun the bear, just the other people." It means that even if you do badly, you shouldn't fret a lot. With time issues like this, there is a HUGE chance that the others failed at least as badly.

The event allows you to bring notes - as long as they're in a 3-ring binder - and one field guide. The Fossils Wiki has 3 good recommendations of field guides. I used the Smithsonian one because it was the first fossils field guide I could find. Unfortunately, I had to get all my notes together at the last minute because I was procrastinating. I, personally, would not recommend you procrastinate. Then you could get more notes - and more notes means more points in the event! And more points in the event means a better chance of winning.

Reach for the Stars
Make your notes concise. Since you can only use two pages worth of notes, format them so the text is small and a lot fits on the page - small margins, spacing, and font size. Also, only research what you don't know. For the vast majority of info, read random astronomy books I-don't-know-how-many-times. I would recommend DK books, and college textbooks. Also, use the Internet for what you can't find in affordable books. Inform your partner on what you know so that they don't ruin the event (in globular clusters, core collapse doesn't have to do with black holes). A red-filter-flashlight can just be a regular flashlight and a sheet of transparent red plastic.

Rocks and Minerals
Do a lot of research, and do not procrastinate. This event is similar to Fossils, just on inorganic geology. However, you should research important rocks or minerals to your state; you want to score high, don't you?

Water Quality
COMING SOON

Storm the Castle
Your first step is to decide what type of trebuchet to use. I used a FAT, or Floating Arm Trebuchet. You can find a full list on the Wiki. Then decide your material. I'd recommend wood; it is strong but easy to carve. If you're using wood, buy the cheapest wood you can find. The mass of the trebuchet does not matter. When you have a design idea and material, sketch a detailed scale model. When you know the size of your trebuchet, build it! Measure as precisely as possible. After building, test and graph! That's mainly what matters; you're not graded on your trebuchet's appearance, but on its effectiveness.

Division C
N/A

Advice For Event Prep
Study, get your notes together, make a packing list, bring a map, bring some cash (and maybe earplugs - at our 2011 Regionals, we sat between the Division B awardee of the Spirit Award and the second-loudest Division B team.)

=Other Cruddity=

I currently go to Kennedy Junior High School in Illinois. If you live in Illinois, too, you probably know us from states. Unfortunately, they don't usually put 6th graders on Varsity, so as of the 2011 season, I was on JV and couldn't go to states :(. But I do have 2 2011 Regional Gold medals, in Can't Judge a Powder and Fossils. In 2011, we got 1st at Regionals and 4th at States. Alas. We never make it to Nats. *sigh*. But we might next year, with my help.

Projected 2012 events


 * Reach for the Stars
 * Rocks and Minerals
 * Write It Do It
 * Forestry

Thank you for your time reading my Wiki.