Road Scholar B

[ToniJackson]

Sorry its just that last year there had been an email that my team hadn't gotten that we would have to bring our OWN maps. Well needless to say, we did not bring the map and got points deducted. We also had to share a map with another team who didn't give us the map until the last 5 mins. And we did know which ones we were using last year.

[wallsm12]

How do you profile highway maps. What is profiling?

[zyzzyva980]

You profile topographic maps, not highway maps, since topographic maps deal more with elevation. It's just like a picture profile- instead of looking at the map from above, you're looking at it from the side, so you see all the contours rising and falling like hills and valleys (or whatever the technical terms are for those, it's been awhile.)

You'll be given a line between two points on the map. Imagine drawing that line on the map in your head, and sticking it to the ground. The line is going to go up and down a lot as it crosses the contour lines. A profile is basically just a plot of how it goes up and down. For a simple example, let's say that the line you need to profile is over an area of land that decreases at a constant rate. The profile would just be a line going down and to the right at that rate (think the graph of y = -x).

Or, let's say it went down at a constant rate, reached its lowest point in the middle, then went back up at a constant rate. Then the profile would form a V.

I know I didn't explain that very well. Perhaps someone could add on to it more if you don't quite understand it yet?

[wallsm12]

You profile topographic maps, not highway maps, since topographic maps deal more with elevation. It's just like a picture profile- instead of looking at the map from above, you're looking at it from the side, so you see all the contours rising and falling like hills and valleys (or whatever the technical terms are for those, it's been awhile.)

You'll be given a line between two points on the map. Imagine drawing that line on the map in your head, and sticking it to the ground. The line is going to go up and down a lot as it crosses the contour lines. A profile is basically just a plot of how it goes up and down. For a simple example, let's say that the line you need to profile is over an area of land that decreases at a constant rate. The profile would just be a line going down and to the right at that rate (think the graph of y = -x).

Or, let's say it went down at a constant rate, reached its lowest point in the middle, then went back up at a constant rate. Then the profile would form a V.

I know I didn't explain that very well. Perhaps someone could add on to it more if you don't quite understand it yet?

That was a very good explanation compared to what I've heard. Thank you.

[wallsm12]

If it's the same as it has been for years (I haven't seen this year's official rules), then this is one of the strangest layouts for a test you'll see. It's supposed to be laid out in story form, meaning you'll see the (un)creative side of your event sups. Basically, your goal is to answer all the questions, and thereby "solve" some mystery or something in the story. Why that's the layout I'm not sure, but it can be amusing.

Anyway, general strategy is to don't read the story. Usually the questions will be in bold in the story, so you just skim to the first question and answer it. If necessary read some of the context to make sure you understand exactly what is going on, but don't get caught up in the story. Save that as a reward for if you get done early. It's a way to unwind with your free time at the end and just laugh with your partner.

Here are some previous tests. You won't have the maps that go along with them of course, but if you really want to, you can order them. Otherwise, just read through some and you'll see what types of questions you'll get.

It is absolutely crucial that you go buy yourself a quadrangle or two or 5 and just go over them. Make sure you can do azimuths, bearings, gradients, stream gradients, distance conversion, elevation readings, and profile drawings super fast. You should not have to stop to look at your resources for any of that, it should be second nature to you.

Let me know if you have any questions. But before you ask, check these two sets of resources for answers: Soinc Road Scholar. Road Scholar Wiki

[wallsm12]

Are we going to need to memorize every single page of map symbols? Because the Road Scholar Rules say that we can bring a map symbol sheet not all of them.

[zyzzyva980]

No, you do not need to memorize the symbols. You should bring a USGS topographic symbols sheet (in actuality a packet of sheets) in your binder. You are allowed a binder, after all, in which you can put pretty much anything.

On the other hand, you should probably memorize the most common ones to save you time in the long run. But it's not a requirement to do well in the event.

[wallsm12]

When you have to create your own map, is there an easy way to do it?

[zyzzyva980]

We actually have a tutorial of that on our wiki. If you have your topographic symbols sheet, it should be a breeze. Just remember to draw to scale and keep your directions straight (but don't worry about it being completely perfect)

[19puppylover]

Are there is sites that are good for Road Scholar? Also, can we bring a scientific calculator to the competition?