Junkyard Challenge C

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jazzy009
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Re: Junkyard Challenge (C)

Post by jazzy009 »

let me know how close you get, we started with a multimeter, didnt like it because we couldnt decently make it autonomous with room for the mystery object, sooooo we went back to a multispring scale. 10g-1000g is a lot! but it manages.
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Re: Junkyard Challenge (C)

Post by Untitled »

We got 1st in our regional for jc. My partner doesn't want any details disclosed till after norcal states.
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Re: Junkyard Challenge (C)

Post by jazzy009 »

ok, no problem, that makes sense when people in your state/region are actually on this site. i like not having to worry about that.
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Re: Junkyard Challenge (C)

Post by jazzkingrt »

If you ask me this is not a good event because of it's unpredictability concerning the mystery material. You can kind of "get lucky" as to your design's compatibility with the material. My partner and I have had to go to extreme measures planning out how to handle any kind of mystery material. Fortunately this can be done without testing every kind of standard object, but I still don't like that the even is dependent on luck for teams that are not competing for national ranking... :|
Anyway gl to everyone else, I look forward to seeing the enormous variety of designs that this event is surely to bring. As usual, remember to keep it simple, while having some ideas on how you could incorporate various kind of materials. Now I'm off to go get some parts for my design. cyaz
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Re: Junkyard Challenge C

Post by DeltaHat »

jazzkingrt,
You are absolutely correct that Junkyard requires a considerable investment of time and thought to be competitive at the National level. This is by design. The mystery of the Mystery Material was specifically included to force teams to think creatively at competition. I realize that on the surface, the Mystery Material may look like chance, but teams can take steps to reduce that risk considerably, as you have. Junkyard is unlike any event SO has ever had before.

Junkyard Challenge has been shown to be easily accessible for entry level teams, while being quite challenging at the top tiers.
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Re: Junkyard Challenge C

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i like that description, deltahat. i agree. the challenge is what makes it an event. to rephrase, without the mystery object too many teams would be vying for a 1st place because the event would be too easy! the mystery object can throw off your calibration or the sturdiness of your object, and thats the price you have to pay. The winner usually thinks the best and finds a spot to put the object where it has the least negative effect on your device! challenging yes, but that's why it's not just called "junkyard..."
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Re: Junkyard Challenge C

Post by Untitled »

How fast your your guy's coin sorters sorting on average?
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Re: Junkyard Challenge C

Post by Flavorflav »

DeltaHat wrote:jazzkingrt,
You are absolutely correct that Junkyard requires a considerable investment of time and thought to be competitive at the National level. This is by design. The mystery of the Mystery Material was specifically included to force teams to think creatively at competition. I realize that on the surface, the Mystery Material may look like chance, but teams can take steps to reduce that risk considerably, as you have. Junkyard is unlike any event SO has ever had before.
Junkyard is unlike any other Olympiad event because it seeks to combine the on-site innovation of Mystery Architecture with the careful planning and calibration of a traditional building event. It was an interesting idea, but not IMHO a successful one. It is certainly true that teams may take steps to maximize their ability to deal with any mystery material, but it is also true that a team which did not may, through luck, end up with a mystery material which is easily compatible with their design. It is true that in Mystery Architecture a team might have practiced the exact task with similar materials, but that may not be simple luck - thinking of as many possible tasks as you can that can be built with relatively simple and cheap materials is part of the event. Moreover, every team is on equal footing in terms of the materials they have to build with at the competition. In Junkyard, teams are by no means on an even footing. A team might think of six different ways to incorporate the material, but not have the required parts to do so successfully while another team simply replaces their identical component with the supplied material. I would like it better if there were three possible challenges and no mystery material, but if there has to be one I would recommend that some sort of parameters be established for it in terms of size, mass etc.
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Re: Junkyard Challenge C

Post by DeltaHat »

Interesting ideas. I'll consider them for the rewrite next year.

Would it help put teams on an even footing if a list of possible mystery materials were published each year and event supervisors were allowed to select only from the list?
A team might think of six different ways to incorporate the material, but not have the required parts to do so successfully while another team simply replaces their identical component with the supplied material.
There is nothing that says you can't bring a bunch of extra general materials in your box to adapt your device to the mystery material. You can do a lot with cardboard and duct tape.
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Re: Junkyard Challenge C

Post by Flavorflav »

Yes, that would be enormously helpful. We've been wracking our brains trying to imagine every possible material and how we would deal with it. It would be nice if we knew that we weren't going to get a helium balloon or a single hair.
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