Gravity Vehicle C

[hmcginny]

hahah yeah i was asking just out of pure curiosity and excitement, since the chalkers were answering some general questions.

[sj]

Is there any "leaked info" about dimensions and stuff to start prototyping?

[illusionist]

Posted question already answered. Thus, this post has been deleted.

[Flavorflav]

It seems like there are two ideas about gravity vehicle going around. One idea was that the car would be propelled by a falling mass, presumably pulling a string to turn the wheels. But other sources say like an eggless scrambler. From my kowledge of scramblers, they were pushed by a swinging mass of some kind, but then just coasted. So which is more accurate? Does the power source travel with the car? Just so I can begin to conceptualize some plans.

The second one is closer, but still not quite there. It will be a vehicle travelling down a ramp, propelled solely by its own mass.

Please tell me you are kidding. Everybody has to build ramps? No pulleys, hammers, or springs? Why? Why force everybody into the same cramped shoebox?

I am very, very disappointed.

[chalker7]

It seems like there are two ideas about gravity vehicle going around. One idea was that the car would be propelled by a falling mass, presumably pulling a string to turn the wheels. But other sources say like an eggless scrambler. From my kowledge of scramblers, they were pushed by a swinging mass of some kind, but then just coasted. So which is more accurate? Does the power source travel with the car? Just so I can begin to conceptualize some plans.

The second one is closer, but still not quite there. It will be a vehicle travelling down a ramp, propelled solely by its own mass.

Please tell me you are kidding. Everybody has to build ramps? No pulleys, hammers, or springs? Why? Why force everybody into the same cramped shoebox?

I am very, very disappointed.

Ramp design and construction will be a critical part of the competition. While it may seem very basic, ramp geometry (flat vs. curved and if curved, what shape exactly), material selection (friction, strength and weight will all be considered by top teams), transportation issues (the ramps may be difficult to move, requiring rapid disassembly/reassembly) and the launching/release mechanism all add significant complexity to the event. All of those factors will have to be optimized for you to consider doing well at a state tournament or nationals.

In my mind, one of the key benefits of this event is that it will be very accessible to brand new teams without direction while also offering many factors for optimization. Reducing mechanical complexity does not necessarily mean an event is more "simple," just easier to visualize.

I do not see it as a cramped shoebox at all. By your assumptions, forcing everyone to use mousetraps as the propulsion method for a vehicle is equally cramped. There will be a tremendous amount of variation between teams throughout the year.

[chalker]

Ramp design and construction will be a critical part of the competition. While it may seem very basic, ramp geometry (flat vs. curved and if curved, what shape exactly), material selection (friction, strength and weight will all be considered by top teams), transportation issues (the ramps may be difficult to move, requiring rapid disassembly/reassembly) and the launching/release mechanism all add significant complexity to the event. All of those factors will have to be optimized for you to consider doing well at a state tournament or nationals.

In my mind, one of the key benefits of this event is that it will be very accessible to brand new teams without direction while also offering many factors for optimization. Reducing mechanical complexity does not necessarily mean an event is more "simple," just easier to visualize.

I do not see it as a cramped shoebox at all. By your assumptions, forcing everyone to use mousetraps as the propulsion method for a vehicle is equally cramped. There will be a tremendous amount of variation between teams throughout the year.

Ditto what my brother said, plus the following: we've already done the hammer/spring/pulley route in previous years and there are lots of excellent designs floating around for those already. For example, check out the EXCELLENT Scrambler wiki page: http://scioly.org/wiki/Scrambler Having a ramp is a new challenge no-one has faced before, which helps to keep the event fresh, interesting, and relatively fair between 'new comers' and 'old timers'.

[illusionist]

I actually kinda the ramp idea, now that I think about it. It makes it much more accessible to teams, yet requires the advanced teams to look at the minor details in order to get maximum performance.

[Flavorflav]

There were always a few ramps under the scrambler rules, most of which didn't work as intended because the designer hadn't noticed the rule about the egg starting on the line. If that rule were removed so that the car was allowed to start anywhere within the square, then the ramp would have been a viable design for entry-level teams, while more experienced teams could experiment with more complicated and efficient designs. Building a good ramp may be technically difficult but is theoretically quite simple, and I don't see what is gained by making everybody build one. I always like it better when the rules establish parameters but leave the actual designing up to the students.

[chalker7]

There were always a few ramps under the scrambler rules, most of which didn't work as intended because the designer hadn't noticed the rule about the egg starting on the line. If that rule were removed so that the car was allowed to start anywhere within the square, then the ramp would have been a viable design for entry-level teams, while more experienced teams could experiment with more complicated and efficient designs. Building a good ramp may be technically difficult but is theoretically quite simple, and I don't see what is gained by making everybody build one. I always like it better when the rules establish parameters but leave the actual designing up to the students.

And what makes you think these rules will have the same problems as scrambler ramps/will not allow students to develop their own designs? I'm a bit confused by the preemptive negativity before anyone has seen the physical rules, let alone devices competing.

[chalker]

I always like it better when the rules establish parameters but leave the actual designing up to the students.

There's nothing in the rules that specify the design of the ramp, just the 'parameters' that a ramp must be used and fit within certain dimensions. We decided that the fundamental aspect of this event is to utilize a ramp to launch a vehicle. It's no different than in the past where we established 'parameters' such as using a mousetrap or electric motor to launch vehicles.

Taking your argument to the extreme, I guess you don't like any of the tower building or the flying events like helicopters and wright stuff because they specify specific 'design' criteria that must be met, such as certain weights, dimensions, materials, etc etc.