Event Clarifications

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Tournaments

These are the official events and descriptions (B Division, C Division, Trial Events) for 2009-2010.

Always check for official event clarifications at the NSO site!!

Event Clarifications - FOR ILLINOIS (Also Check the NSO Site for National Updates!)

Each team must:

Build their own robots, planes, catapults, towers/booms, etc
Use their own notes and gather their own sources for competition

Varsity and JV teams MAY NOT SHARE event materials or notes.

2010 Event Clarifications

Event Name	Division	Clarification
Battery Buggy	B	The vehicle track as defined in the rules is "the distance measured perpendicular to the direction of travel between the outermost left side and the outermost right side of the widest part of a track that would be left..."(2.g.) This definition applies to rule 5.d., where the vehicle track is the track width left by the vehicle in or on the surface it travels across. During the competition, we consider the vehicle to have crossed the center line, and thus lost the point bonus, when we can see the center line tape on the outside of the widest point of the vehicle track width. For example, if the rear axle is wider than the front axle of the vehicle, then the vehicle track would be the distance between the outside of the rear wheels. If the vehicle turns to the left during the run, it crosses the center line when the outermost edge of the right wheel crosses the right edge of the tape (center line).
Elevated Bridge	B/C	Q: Can the bridge legs be straight? A: (2-2-10) Yes, the legs can be straight. They just need to allow the block to be cleared and the distance needs to be in the zone for the span of B or C.
Junkyard Challenge	B	Q: Can the trigger mechanism of the mousetraps be modified as to the surface area with a piece of thin cardboard? Also, for the start mechanism, can the ball be dropped more than once, or does a single drop trigger all of the mousetraps in sequence? A: (2-2-10) The golf ball needs to be dropped once and then the process should run by itself until completion. Any additional touches count as deductions. The golf ball does not necessarily have to set off any mousetraps, but it must be dropped in to start the mechanism. Q: Can part or all of the device be taped to the floor provided the mousetraps themselves are not taped to the floor? A: Nothing can be taped to the floor.
Ornithology	B/C	Q: Will the tournaments use the national ornithology bird list, or a subset(s) of this list? A: (12-03-09) We will use the full list unless individual regions want to reduce it.
Wright Stuff	B	Q: Are canards allowed? I have noticed some of the kits/plans call for a CG location aft of the center of lift, which would load the stabilizer as a lifting wing. A: (2-2-10) Canards are allowed. Q: Does the horizontal stab have to be aft of the main wing? At what point does this qualify as a Biplane? A: (2-2-10) As long as the wing and stabilizer are in conformation with the specified dimensions, the airplane is not a biplane. The stabilizer does not have to be aft of the wing. If your question arises because the stabilizer has no maximum chord specified, it would be possible to have a stabilizer with a greater area than the wing. Because of that, this question should be deferred to the National Science Olympiad Rules Clarification process. In any case, only one wing and one stabilizer is allowed. That is, if there are 2 stabilizers and one wing or visa-versa, it would be a biplane. Q: How wide can a piece of balsa wing structure be before it starts being considered a solid wing? Could you drill some holes in a solid wood wing, cover it with tissue, and then pass inspection? A: (2-2-10) The specification for no "solid balsa wing or tail assemblies" may also need clarification by the National SO. However, to my way of thinking, just taking a solid sheet of balsa and cutting holes for lightening is not an assembly. Assembly means taking more than two separate pieces and joining them. For a wing with, for example a 10- cm chord, an assembly with LE and TE each 4cm wide joined by 2 cm long ribs would not be disallowed. Q: Could we really use a formed carbon wing? I would hope no one would, but is this allowable under the rules as they are written? A: (2-2-10) A formed carbon wing may be used as long as there are no pre-glued assemblies. Q: Does the weight for the airframe include the prop & mount, or does that go with the rubberband weight? A: (2-2-10) The airframe includes everything but the rubber motor. The propeller assembly is part of the airplane. The propeller assembly is not part of the rubber motor. (kids get confused by this sometimes). Q: Are the span limits as projected to a flat surface below, or as measured from center (in other words, could you use dihedral to have an effectively longer wing)? A: (2-2-10) The span for wing and stabilizer is the projected span. Span is measured on the assembled airplane. it is common for the pre-dihedral wing and stab to exceed the spec. Be careful that the propeller diameter does not exceed 20 cm as measured for all axis thru the center, not just on the centerline.