Transcript Rotor egg drop - Wikispaces

ROTOR EGG DROP
Science Olympiad Summer Institute
Phoenix, AZ
July 16 – 20, 20112
DESCRIPTION:
 Construct a helicopter type device to safely
transport a raw chicken egg from a given
height to the floor
EVENT PARAMETERS
 Use wings/blades that rotate around a
central axis to slow decent
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No energy producing mechanisms
No pre-made rotor assemblies
Cannot be:
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Airplane
Balloon
Parachute
PARAMETERS (cont.)
 Grade A large chicken egg
 Sealed in plastic bag
 Placed in cup
 8 – 10 oz
 Foam?
 Attached to device by tape
Egg, bag, cup, and tape provided by event
supervisor
PARAMETERS (cont.)
 Cup is 1st surface to touch the floor
 Devices where cup does not touch floor first will
be ranked below other devices where cup does
touch the floor first
 No other shock absorbing material allowed
 Devices must fit w/in 51 cm x 51 cm x 51 cm
COMPETITION
 Impounded before start of event
 No modifications allowed other than to attach egg
 Students may inspect egg
 If cracked may request another egg
 Once accepted if broken before drop students
may receive another egg
 2 sec. penalty subtracted from final time
COMPETITION (cont.)
 Only one drop
 Height announced day of tournament
 5 meter minimum
 Time – release time until it hits floor
 3 timers – MEDIAN of the 3 times
 (the middle time is used)
COMPETITION (cont.)
 After drop student removes egg from device
and gives to supervisor
 All devices with eggs surviving will be ranked
ahead of devices with broken eggs
 even if student breaks the egg after the
drop and before giving to supervisor
 Broken egg defined by wet spot on paper
towel
SCORING
 Highest time wins
 Devices not meeting construction parameters
will be ranked below all devices that do
 Devices with broken eggs will be ranked
below successful devices
 Tiebreaker
 Lightest helicopter (w/o egg, bag, cup)
 No appeals after device leaves impound
Practice
 To practice without wasting eggs, take a
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plastic egg and weight with pennies to
approximate mass of egg
Plan on making lots of different rotor designs.
Rotors must rotate at least 360 degrees in its
descent or it is not a rotor it is a parachute
The higher the drop, the easier it is to get
rotor to rotate 360 degrees
Angled blades rotate better than flat blades
Web Sites
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http://fc.niskyschools.org/~psherman/03978F9B-011EDE4C.25/HelicopterEggDropNotes.pdf
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Amazing--Graceful-Egg-Drop-Contraption/