VIRGINIA

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD MISSION POSSIBLE 2014-15

TIPS FOR DESIGNING, BUILDING, AND OPERATING A HIGH-SCORING DEVICE

REMINDER: All Mission Possible 2014-15 Rules and any Clarifications are the formal
governing principles for the event. Tips are merely meant as a guide. If anything in this
guide is in conflict with the published Rules and Clarifications, the Rules and
Clarifications will prevail

Try to design as much of the device as you can before building it. Think through the
components and task sequences and work out the kinks on paper or with small-scale tests (like
on MythBusters) before building the actual device.

Look at YouTube videos of past devices. A lot of the construction concepts are the same from
year to year. You dont need to think up everything yourselves. No one else does.

Just because youre allowed 60cm^3, does not mean you need to use it. Design your device to
keep the components separate and allow immediate access if something fails, not much more.
There are points for size but not for style.

Anything extending outside the frame of your device, e.g., bolts, pegs, twist-ties, etc. counts
towards the size of the device. Measure your device from these external points, not the exterior
of the frame.

At Regionals, the ideal time is 60 seconds but at States and Nationals, its variable. The timing
mechanism cannot be electrical but must be adjustable at impound (for States and Nationals).
Think of something that is easy to adjust and calibrate. How was time measured before electric
watches and clocks? If it worked 200 years ago, itll work today. (No atomic clocks, either.)

Some tasks have a lot more points than other tasks. Spend your time on the tasks with the most
points and make sure they work before you add the lower-value tasks.

Think about dropping the starting golf ball INTO something you cant miss (like a funnel) rather
than directly ONTO something you can easily miss (like a lever).

Minimize the free space that the golf balls have to travel on open guides (like rails or tracks)
versus closed guides (like funnels or tubes). This is not Roller Coaster. Other than as a timing
mechanism, there is no point to having golf balls going around and around the device.

For the bonus Energy Transfer Sequences, make sure you have a reliable way to lift/drop the
golf balls into the scoring jug(s). The Energy Transfer Sequence that initiates each golf ball
lift/drop has to be unique but the method of lifting and dropping the golf balls doesnt. Also
make sure each sequence is explained on the Action Sequence List.

You can include non-scoring energy transfers in an ETS as long as they are described on the
Action Sequence List. These do not affect the ETS or the scoring but do allow you more
flexibility on how an ETS is initiated or completed.

If you use a component with a hair trigger (like a mousetrap) ensure that a) it is securely
attached to the structure so that random vibrations in the device cannot set it off, b) items
moving around the device (like golf balls) cannot trigger the device if they deviate from their
path, and c) vibrations caused by the component when it is triggered cannot cause other
components to go off unexpectedly.
If youre using strings to actuate something, keep them short and taut. The idea is to remove
the variability of string length and string tension from the equation.

Levers, gears, pulleys, or anything similar should be supported by two points of contact. Unless
you have a strong and immobile material anchored securely to a wall, the lack of a second
support point almost guarantees variability and a risk of failure.

If your device uses anything like moving water, sand, salt, marbles, etc., there is a good chance
that something will get stuck and also that it will spill. Think of ways to prevent the material
from getting stuck (e.g., enlarging the opening of the pouring and receiving containers
compared to the maximum pour volume) and from spilling (e.g., putting the apparatus in a
separate container and also away from an open edge of the device).

Make sure the sides and base of your device are sturdy enough to support what youre putting
in or on the device. Plywood is much better than peg board, for example.

Your device has to do something. That means dynamic stress on the supports, fulcrums, etc.
especially if youre using things like counter-weights or high mechanical advantage levers. There
is no weight limit and no bonus for creative use of inappropriate construction materials. This is
not Boomilever. Structural supports should use materials designed for structural support (e.g.,
heavy wooden dowels or metal rods) not something like rolled-up cardboard or balsa wood.

Do not use tape to secure things that vibrate or move, like motors or levers. Use tape to secure
things that dont move, like batteries and electrical wires.

Make sure the buzzer is distinct and loud enough for the judges to hear it.

When you think youre done, review the device using the rules the way you expect the judges to
review the device. Is the paperwork complete and understandable and in duplicate? (There
are two Event Supervisors). Is everything labeled in the device and matching the labels on the
Action Sequence List? Did you include any excluded materials (e.g., rat traps, lead, fuses,
lasers)? Did you alter or attach anything to the inside of the scoring jug(s)? Continue through
the rules line by line like this.

Good Luck,
The Mission Possible Event Supervisors