Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by knittingfrenzy18 »

Well, it should be primarily the design-size and shape-of the blades that will affect your score.
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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by jander14indoor »

Mr Sarcastic wrote:Thanks, but I'm still not seeing how this would decrease times in any noticeable way, considering the weight of the egg. It would seem to me that you would need power to spin the blades fast enough to slow the descent.
It's no different than a glider. The rotor blades are just glider wings turning in a REAL tight circle. As the device drops, air rushes over the rotor, causing it to spin (you do have to tilt the blades a little). As it spins, air goes over the airfoil shaped blades creating lift to offset the weight of the device. As the weight is offset the acceleration down drops. As you accelerate, lift force increases. At some point lift and weight are equal and you descend at a steady velocity. IF you do your part right that velocity will be low and the egg will survive.

Oh, and gravity is your power. You start at one potential energy and end at another. The difference is the energy you have available to slow the descent.

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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by rfscoach »

Clarification on egg placement from UCF Nationals web site:
E. Helicopter Egg Drop: Clarification on egg placement: The egg must be mounted or suspended from the bottom of the device, use a cup provided by the event supervisor, and the cup must hit the floor first. Size of helicopter: No the device may not unfold to a size larger than specified after being released. Dropping the helicopter: The rules state “no energy-producing mechanism of any type can be used to power the rotor(s)”. I would say causing the blades to spin before the drop is using outside energy.

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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by techmaster55 »

Finally, some rule clarifications.
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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by techmaster55 »

I would also like to say, in the rules it says that "a" roter may be used, this means that there can only be one rotor on the device correct?
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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by wlsguy »

techmaster55 wrote:I would also like to say, in the rules it says that "a" roter may be used, this means that there can only be one rotor on the device correct?
We tried this at Wright State this year.
Our "Helicopter" had a single blade that went all the way around (think big flat disk made of balsa and covered in a plastic film).
Another way to envision this is to google "Da Vinchi Helicopter".

It effectively turned the "blade" into a parachute.
We then decided it may be DQ's as not in the "Spirit of the Problem" and cut the blade into 2 pieces and created two large blades that almost touched.

The result; our Helicopter dropped slower than everyone elses (highest decent time) but unfortunatley, due to egg placement, the egg cracked.

Do I think it was still legal? No, I think it still was very close to stretching the "Spirit of the Problem".
I'm just hoping these questions get worked out before this becomes an event or it may set the record for FAQs.
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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by fleet130 »

Multiple sets of rules at different internet locations seem to be causing some confusion. My best guess is that the rules at http://soinc.org/sites/default/files/up ... Drop_0.pdf will be the ones used at the national tournament. It's also a good bet the FAQs/clarifications at http://soinc.org/trial_and_pilot_events are what will apply. Hopefully this will all be sorted out in the next day or so!
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!
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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by techmaster55 »

Any national times? I for a fact had the event supervisor tell me I got the best time of the day with about 7 seconds... to bad my egg broke anyway so I got second teired :( lol they should really fix that when they make the event rules for next year, especially since I think I deserved my medal :p. But whatever nothing I can do now
Last edited by techmaster55 on May 26th, 2012, 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by knittingfrenzy18 »

Hm. We got 15th and our egg broke so I don't know how good that would have been.
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Re: Helicopter Egg Drop B [Trial]

Post by fleet130 »

Any national times?
First place team was a little under 6 seconds. Only 2 teams got a better time (approx +.1 & +.6 sec) & both of their eggs broke.
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!
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