Junkyard Challenge B

[Littleboy]

And I quote from the soinc FAQs

01/11/2011 - 15:14 Will students be allowed to stand on a chair or on a team mate's back or shoulders to place a ball on top of their tower, so that the team's tower is not limited by the height of the student?
No, for safety reasons, students may not stand on a chair, ladder, table, shoulders, or anything else to place the ball on a tower. However, students may ask the event supervisor to place the ball but that will be at the student's risk and if the event supervisor agrees to place the ball on the tower.

So basiccly the tallest you can make a tower is as high as the tallest person can reach/jump/ stand on tip toes. I really hope that it won't be a tower. I sounds quite un fair, if a team is able to make a structure that tall, let them, don't make it limited by height.

[Freyssenet]

And I quote from the soinc FAQs

01/11/2011 - 15:14 Will students be allowed to stand on a chair or on a team mate's back or shoulders to place a ball on top of their tower, so that the team's tower is not limited by the height of the student?
No, for safety reasons, students may not stand on a chair, ladder, table, shoulders, or anything else to place the ball on a tower. However, students may ask the event supervisor to place the ball but that will be at the student's risk and if the event supervisor agrees to place the ball on the tower.

So basiccly the tallest you can make a tower is as high as the tallest person can reach/jump/ stand on tip toes. I really hope that it won't be a tower. I sounds quite un fair, if a team is able to make a structure that tall, let them, don't make it limited by height.

Well, it seems there may be some differences. In San Diego a ladder will be provided, see: http://www.sandiegoso.org/divb2011/div_b_junk.html

Hence, It is good idea o check with the event coordinator in your region.

[Littleboy]

Ok i will try that.
Does anyone know how this event is run so that other teams can't copy ideas? Will each team be in their own separate room to build and test? or will it be 1 big room (like a gym)for everyone to see everything? I am worried with other teams copying us.

[penclspinner]

Ok i will try that.
Does anyone know how this event is run so that other teams can't copy ideas? Will each team be in their own separate room to build and test? or will it be 1 big room (like a gym)for everyone to see everything? I am worried with other teams copying us.

There are several ways to run this event, the only difference being available space and how many volunteers are present.
The most common way that I've seen is where everyone is in the same room working together separated by 3-4 feet of space on all sides from other competitors.

Usually the only people who would be inclined to copy others are the ones who are not prepared at all and have absolutely no idea what to do. Other teams have a set strategy and will tend to stick with it and try to complete it as soon as possible. I guess if you were really worried about others copying you, you could attempt to shield your device with the bodies of your teammates but I don't really think it'll be an issue.

[Littleboy]

But our bridge and somewhat our cantilever and tower we need space to work and i doubt that we will have enough that way... oh well
By the way, I bet our bridge would easily place in the top 5 at nats, all we have to do is make there and have to build it.

[gyourkoshaven]

Since the scoretracker isn't up, I'd like to say that I got 5th at my invitational today with a tower height of 180 cm. What have other people been getting?

[bk]

what did 1st place get?

[Littleboy]

Question: For the tower, Does the base for the tiebreaker get measured from the widest point of the entire tower of of the widest point of the base? I ask because our base is one of the narrowest places.

[chalker]

Question: For the tower, Does the base for the tiebreaker get measured from the widest point of the entire tower of of the widest point of the base? I ask because our base is one of the narrowest places.

The diagram in the rules clearly shows it as the widest point of the base.

[Littleboy]

Diagrams can be decieving. It is also the widest point of the tower. The rules say:

measured to the outside edges of the supports to the widest span

[earthbot25]

I'm just reiterating the problem with the tower height and not being able to use a ladder. At the invitational I went to you had to leave your feet on the ground (same surface as where you started building) and we weren't allowed to use a ladder. This pretty much meant, that out of all the best ideas for towers, the people who were the tallest could build the tallest tower, because they could reach the highest up to put their cup and ball on.

[chalker]

Diagrams can be decieving. It is also the widest point of the tower. The rules say:

measured to the outside edges of the supports to the widest span

Well if in doubt, submit an official question on soinc.org.

[AlphaTauri]

I'm just reiterating the problem with the tower height and not being able to use a ladder. At the invitational I went to you had to leave your feet on the ground (same surface as where you started building) and we weren't allowed to use a ladder. This pretty much meant, that out of all the best ideas for towers, the people who were the tallest could build the tallest tower, because they could reach the highest up to put their cup and ball on.

It really does favor the team with the tallest competitors, since if one team has a JYC person who's 6'6" tall and the other team's JYC-er is 5'0", assuming they both build towers as high as they can reach, the kid who's 6'6" is going to be able to reach higher, and would therefore win even if the shorter kid is better at building towers but simply can't reach. And I'm not being hypothetical here with the height differences...last year, my team had a member who was 6'6" tall and another teammate who was 5'0" (coincidentally, both of them did work on JYC at some point).

They should at least let you stand on a chair (not the swiveling kind, though...that might be a bad idea). Last time I checked, standing on a chair wasn't a safety hazard.

[Littleboy]

Last time I checked, I (5"10' and tallest on team) could not reach the top of our tower.
Last time I checked, i could put the cup and ball on the bridges and cantilevers easily.
Last time I checked, I wanted them to let us use ladders and if not have us make a bridge or cantilever.

[disownedpear]

i dont see any reason why they wont let us use ladders. its not like their unsafe