Wind Power C

[illusionist]

I hate to rain on your parade, but Wind Power will not be an event next year for Division C....

[MLBfreek35]

I wouldn't call this test very easy... last year's Physics Lab test was much easier and it was supposed to be the same topics, although it wasn't. I thought this year's test (all the labeling) was kinda stupid. You aced it if you happened to have it in your reference binder, and you probably had some difficulty if you didn't. There should have been more application, imo.

As for the windmill, I'd be interested in seeing some of the designs that did better than mine. I swear mine was about to rip itself apart from spinning so fast, but it only got about 300mV on high.

[illusionist]

At States, I got 700 on high, and 300 on low. ES said it was the fastest low speed turbine of the day

[eeldj123]

I wouldn't call this test very easy... last year's Physics Lab test was much easier and it was supposed to be the same topics, although it wasn't. I thought this year's test (all the labeling) was kinda stupid. You aced it if you happened to have it in your reference binder, and you probably had some difficulty if you didn't. There should have been more application, imo.

As for the windmill, I'd be interested in seeing some of the designs that did better than mine. I swear mine was about to rip itself apart from spinning so fast, but it only got about 300mV on high.

Since there is no limitations as to what you can have in your binder, the test reflects upon how well you've mastered concepts (physics) and how well you've prepared your binder (environmental science).

In reality the event's more of a battle to see who can prepare the best. This was the case when my partner and I competed at regionals and state. Preparation of the binder made a huge difference in our placing.

300 mV on high? what ohm resistor was used?

[MLBfreek35]

Since there is no limitations as to what you can have in your binder, the test reflects upon how well you've mastered concepts (physics) and how well you've prepared your binder (environmental science).

In reality the event's more of a battle to see who can prepare the best. This was the case when my partner and I competed at regionals and state. Preparation of the binder made a huge difference in our placing.

300 mV on high? what ohm resistor was used?

Preparation of the binder will always make a big difference when they let you use one, but you should never be able to get the answer directly from the binder, imo. maybe you need an equation from your binder, but just identifying parts is stupidly easy (if it's in your binder)

I'm not sure what the resistance was... whatever they had at nationals. The best windmills got in the 500mV range, apparently

[kjhsscioly]

Since there is no limitations as to what you can have in your binder, the test reflects upon how well you've mastered concepts (physics) and how well you've prepared your binder (environmental science).

In reality the event's more of a battle to see who can prepare the best. This was the case when my partner and I competed at regionals and state. Preparation of the binder made a huge difference in our placing.

300 mV on high? what ohm resistor was used?

Preparation of the binder will always make a big difference when they let you use one, but you should never be able to get the answer directly from the binder, imo. maybe you need an equation from your binder, but just identifying parts is stupidly easy (if it's in your binder)

I'm not sure what the resistance was... whatever they had at nationals. The best windmills got in the 500mV range, apparently

I would differ on the binder issue... Our state test was absurdly easy, and a significant joke. Most of the questions were straight units, like asking what a calorie is, in a T/F question. It also asked what the two types of energy were, and so forth. Really, most of the unit stuff was out of the binder, straight, and there really wasn't anything not in our binder.

[eeldj123]

I would differ on the binder issue... Our state test was absurdly easy, and a significant joke. Most of the questions were straight units, like asking what a calorie is, in a T/F question. It also asked what the two types of energy were, and so forth. Really, most of the unit stuff was out of the binder, straight, and there really wasn't anything not in our binder.

It varies with the state then, the test I took at state had a pretty significant influence on the overall score since it asked lots of terminology questions and in depth questions about temperature.

[solonoc]

To be dreadfully honest, the written test was way too simplistic. Binderbuilding was definitely not necessary for the nationals test. I'm positive that there were at least 5-10 teams that could've aced the test without any resources. Also, I know that the top 6 building scores were from a total of 550 to 450 mV (give or take a few tens at either end). I heard that Wind Power is being replaced with Keep the Heat or something like that. Can anyone confirm?

[illusionist]

Yes, that is true. Keep the Heat is about thermodynamics, and will replace Wind Power in Division C next year