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Division B Events
Submitted by webmaster on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 16:20
Questions must be directed toward the rules. We cannot pre-judge your device by answering questions on whether it complies.
- Earth/Space Science
- Dynamic Planet - Div B
- 01/29/2013 - 22:27 What are the answers for the page 42-49 " Identifying Glacial Features on a TopographicMap" of SOSI.pps presentation in the Bio/Earth CD?
Answers may be found on the website www.markvanhecke.net There you will find a revised version of the SOSI Dynamic Planet PPT that includes the answers right on the slides.
- Rocks and Minerals - Div B
- Meteorology
- Road Scholar
- Reach for the Stars
- Inquiry/Nature
- Metric Mastery
- Rotor Egg Drop
- 04/07/2013 - 20:41 Is device, that fits in 51x51x51 cube before beginning, but won't fit when in flight, be legal?
The device must fit inside the 51 cm x 51 cm x 51 cm cube at all times. Realize that the imaginary cube would rotate with the device. Nothing is allowed to break that imaginary cube's plane at any time.
- 02/21/2013 - 21:45 Are ball bearings allowed for the construction of the rotor?
Yes, ball bearings would be allowed in the construction of the rotor. They cannot be part of a commercial rotor assembly (Rule 3a).
- 02/23/2013 - 09:34 May the blades be affixed to a solid shaft such that they rotate together as a unit in descent?
Yes
- 04/07/2013 - 20:57 May the device have rotors spinning around multiple axes, like a Chinook helicopter?
No, all rotors must spin around a central axis as stated in rule 3.a. That would mean only one axis is allowed.
- 02/21/2013 - 21:50 May the rotor spin independently on an axis?
Yes, the rotor may spin independently on an axis.
- 02/21/2013 - 21:59 May the device begin to rotate before it is dropped?
The device CANNOT begin to rotate before it is released for timing. The competitors need to hold their device so that rotation does not begin before the device is dropped.
- 04/07/2013 - 20:48 Is the device required to make one complete rotation in flight in order to be considered a rotor and not a parachute?
Any device not rotating would be considered a parachute. Making on complete rotation is not the determining factor of a rotor versus a parachute, Rotor blades that capture air is a parachute.
- 04/07/2013 - 21:36 Do curved wings on a rotor count as catching air (aka. parachute)?
If the curved wings act as a parachute it is a parachute. If the wings are curved and the rotors are spinning then generally it is not a parachute. The event supervisor will make the determination.
- 11/25/2012 - 21:28 What criteria will be used to determines if a rotor will be disqualified as a parachute?
The event supervisor will use his/her best judgement as to whether the rotor captures air and/or is acting as a parachute.
- 02/21/2013 - 22:08 What constitutes a Parachute?
If the rotor captures air it will be considered a parachute. Covering on the rotor must be taut so that when the device is dropped the covering does not bulge, capturing air.
- 02/21/2013 - 22:19 Can the device be put in diagonal direction of the 51x51x51 cube?
No, the device must be in launch flying configuration and fit within the 51 x 51 x 51 cube with one face of the cube on the floor.
- 04/07/2013 - 21:41 If a part of the rotor OTHER THAN the cup touches the floor first, is that considered to be a competition violation?
Yes, this would be a competition violation and the team would be put in either Tier 3 or Tier 4 depending upon the survival of the egg.
- 11/25/2012 - 21:33 Are the students allowed to push the blades just before they drop the devices?
No, students may not push or start the blades into rotation before or after they release the device, please refer to Rule 3.a.line 2.
- Experimental Design - Div B
- 11/14/2012 - 17:47 Are students expected to complete the entire experiment, including all data and all trials, and not make up or extrapolate data for points they do not have time to take?
Yes, students are expected to complete the entire experiment, including all data and all trials, and not make up or extrapolate data for points they do not have time to take. Par 4 "Any student not addressing the assigned question or topic area will be ranked behind those who do, because not conducting an experiment is a violation of the spirit of the event."
- Write It Do It - Div B
- Life/Personal/Social Science
- Heredity
- Disease Detectives - Div B
- Forestry - Div B
- 03/23/2013 - 18:34 Are we allowed to put the two 8.5 x 11 inch sheets of paper in sheet protectors?
Yes, the two 8.5 x 11 inch sheets of paper may be in sheet protectors. Remember that you may only have 2 pieces of paper.
- 03/23/2013 - 18:35 For the competition I was not clear about the commercially published resources. Could these be the Audubon Field Guides, or any other Tree Guide?
Yes, any commercially published resource is allowed.
- 11/25/2012 - 21:39 Does one of the 2 sheets include the national list or not?
Yes, if the team chooses to include the National Tree List or any parts of the list in their notes, it must be included in the two 8.5" x 11" two-sided pages of information. This is a new rule for this year.
- Anatomy
- Water Quality - Div B
- 03/23/2013 - 18:57 What will be done to oversized hydrometers? Will they be given another container in which they can use?
Some accommodations will be provided for variations, but there is a limit to what constitutes a reasonable accommodation.
- 05/05/2013 - 20:05 For the salinometer, are we allowed to use a commercial volt / ohm meter NOT used for measuring salinity, then reconfiguring it to do so? Would this be considered a commercial device?
Yes you can use a commercial device as long as you incorporate it into your overall design.
- 03/23/2013 - 18:58 May students bring in their own beaker or graduated cylinder to test their salinometer/hydrometer.
No, they should use the graduated cylinder provided for the competition unless they can make a reasonable demonstration that a different container is needed.
- 03/11/2013 - 22:31 What volume of water should each group be given for the salinity test?
A reasonable amount of water to expect would be 400mls to 800mls but this will be up to the local Event Supervisor.
- 03/23/2013 - 19:03 Can a pre-built voltage meter be used as part of the salinometer, as long as it was not previously part of a commercial salinometr/hydrometer?
Yes, a voltmeter could be used as the required hydrometer. There is nothing in the event description that would preclude such an approach (use of electronic instrumentation). The competitor should be prepared to explain where the various parts come from and demonstrate that the student's device is not from a commercial device for measuring water quality.
- 03/23/2013 - 19:08 Would using a multimeter be considered as "commercially made meters" for salinometer?
There are commercial devices that can measure several parameters (pH, temperature, conductivity - which can be interpolated as far as salinity) that could be called a "multimeter" and would not be permissible. If "multimeter" means something else, like a generic electronic device, then it may be incorporated into the student built device. Students should be prepared to explain their devices.
- 03/23/2013 - 19:10 For the salinometer, are we allowed to make an electronic salinometer?
Yes, STUDENTS are allowed to use electronics in their STUDENT built salinometer, see posted FAQs.
- Physical Science/Chemistry
- Chemistry
- Food Science
- 01/25/2013 - 19:22 2. a., line 1, appears to conflict with para Homemade Viscosity Testing Device. may teams bring and use more than one HVTD?
Yes, teams may bring more than one Homemade Viscosity Testing Device to competition and use them.
- 01/25/2013 - 19:24 If we include liquids that were taken off the official list for viscosity testing graph will we be penalized?
No, you will not be penalized for using different fluids to do your standard curves.
- 03/23/2013 - 18:43 When calculating nutritional values, should you use the average Calories per gram of carbohydrate (4.1), protein (5.7) and lipid (9.5) OR the average Calories that a gram will yield when consumed - Carbohydrate (4), Protein (4), Lipid (9)?
You should use the full Calories per gram, NOT the calories that a gram will yield when consumed.
- 03/23/2013 - 18:52 What type of "milk" is to be tested? Whole, 1%,2$,Skim?
The Event Supervisor will make that determination. There is not a significant difference between the percent of fat in the milk as far as viscosity. Test each type to see if there is a difference and add them to your chart.
- 04/11/2013 - 21:34 In the rules, it mentions that viscotesters "can be made" by drilling a hole...7/64" and 5/32". Do the holes have to be precisely that size? At Regionals a supervisor claimed that was the case. We had to make the second hole larger in order to hav...
The measurements listed in the rules are just an example, they do not have to be those exact measurements.
- Crime Busters
- 03/11/2013 - 22:16 Are students allowed to bring beakers?
Yes, students may bring beakers as small containers for mixing.
- Physics
- Shock Value
- Keep the Heat
- 02/17/2013 - 22:09 Whose thermometer is used for the final temp since the paragraph above states the supervisor must supply thermometers/probes and paragraph 4a iv says teams may utilize their own thermometers to measure the starting water temp in their beakers?
Supervisors provide the thermometer for final temp measurement.
- 02/17/2013 - 22:10 Can teams be penalized for submitting a graph containing more than four data plots?
No.
- 01/02/2013 - 13:11 Is drywall considered commercial insulation. In other words, can we use it for Keep the Heat or Thermodynamics?
Yes, drywall is a form of commercial insulation, therefore may not be used for construction of Keep the Heat or Thermodynamics boxes.
- 02/17/2013 - 22:13 Are we allowed to have in our binder more than the required up to 4 graphs that will be handed in?
Yes
- 02/17/2013 - 22:15 Are calculators (programmable in particular) to be impounded?
Yes
- 02/17/2013 - 22:17 Is impound only for Part 1 of the event (device, tools, notes, plots, etc), or is the binder for Part 2 also to be impounded?
Rule 2.d. explicitly states that notes must be impounded. This includes note for both Part 1 and Part 2.
- 11/20/2012 - 22:05 Can aerogels be used in the construction of the device?
No. Aerogels are a type of foam, which is explicitly prohibited.
- 02/17/2013 - 22:24 Can duct tape be used?
Yes
- 11/14/2012 - 21:30 When mentioning types of foams, does it only prohibit "plastic, metal, expandable glue, etc" based foams, or does it prohibit those items entirely e.g. does it prohibit plastic based foams or plastics in general?
The items in the parentheses only apply to the word foam (e.g. the prohibition is only on foams of any type, including plastic foams, metal foams, etc. etc.)
- 11/25/2012 - 14:57 What do you mean by commercial insulation?
Commercial insulation is anything sold / bought that has heat retention as one of the intended properties.
- 01/25/2013 - 19:43 Could craft or quilt batting be used? (e.g. polyester fiber fill, cotton batting, wool batting)
Batting is generally considered to be insulation, and thus prohibited.
- 02/17/2013 - 21:02 You've previously clarified that commercial insulation is anything sold / bought that has heat retention as one of the intended properties. Does this mean if the product packaging lists the features of the product, but doesn't mention heat reten...
Commercial insulation definition: A previous FAQ states: “Commercial insulation is anything sold / bought that has heat retention as one of the intended properties”. To clarify further, the fundamental principle is that competitors need to use 'raw materials' to create their devices, not depend on the work some professional engineer put into designing something to insulate. Items that would be considered ‘commercial insulation’ aren’t always necessarily labeled as such, since there are a lot of products engineered to be significantly better insulators than a normal person would be able to trivially create using the same raw materials. Likewise, just because someone has measured the ‘R Value’ of something and published it, doesn’t mean it’s inherently commercial insulation. As with many things in Science Olympiad, there is a certain amount of subjectiveness that will fall upon the event supervisor in determining whether or not something is commercial insulation and it is impossible for us to list all possibilities. One key factor supervisors will use in determining this is how much effort the competitor put into modifying the 'raw material' to make the device. When in doubt, competitors should always err on the side of caution and select basic raw materials such as some of those listed below.
Some examples of materials that AREN’T considered commercial insulation: • Uncoated glass sheets • Cotton balls • Wine bottle corks • Raw wool • Fiberglass sheets (e.g. the thin paper like material used to repair car body panels) • Aluminum foil
Some examples of materials that ARE considered commercial insulation: • Silverized glass sheets • Cotton batting • Cork paneling • A wool sweater • Glass wool (e.g. fiberglass insulation, the pink fluffy stuff)
- 02/17/2013 - 21:16 Is perlite a permissible material as insulation?
No, perlite is a foam and is not allowed.
- 02/17/2013 - 21:21 Is styrofoam considered to be a type of foam?
Yes, styrofoam is a foam and not allowed in the devices.
- 02/17/2013 - 22:28 Can my team use duct tape completely around the outer edge of the lid to secure it?
Yes, General rule #2 applies: http://soinc.org/ethics_rules
- 02/17/2013 - 21:39 Should the students be allowed to place a separate "plug" or "cap" into or on the opening of the internal 250 mL beaker before closing the device?
Yes, teams may put a "plug" or "cap" on the opening of the internal beaker. Anything put in or around the beaker cannot physically modify the beaker nor the water in the beaker. The required hole for the probe must be at least 1.5 cm in diameter in any plug or cap. The device does not need to be all one physically attached unit.
- 02/17/2013 - 21:42 Does the "250mL standard, unaltered empty Pyrex (or similar brand name) beaker" have to be made of glass?
No.
- 01/25/2013 - 19:46 Is it the external "top surface" or internal "top surface" of the lid? In other words is it the distance from the beaker to where it first hits the lid?
Top surface means the upper most thing that could be considered a surface, which in most cases is the 'external' part of the lid.
- 02/17/2013 - 21:50 How late is the team allowed to insert a thermometer to measure starting temperature after the inside beaker was placed in the container?
This will be up to individual event supervisors, but it should happen as soon as possible so as to not violate the overall spirit of the problem.
- Sounds of Music
- 04/03/2013 - 20:45 In the rules, it states that sheet music is allowed in competition. Does that mean that collapsible (commercial/store bought) music stands can be brought in to hold our music?
Yes, you may bring a music stand.
- 04/03/2013 - 20:49 Would mallets bought at a music store be considered professional instruments?
Yes, mallets bought at a music store (or anyother type of store) would be considered professional instruments and are not permitted under Construction rule 3b.
- 03/11/2013 - 22:07 If the instrument is capable to play beyond the "allowable range" is there a penalty?
There is no penalty for instruments being able to play additional notes outside of the required range.
- Technology
- Mousetrap Vehicle
- 01/23/2013 - 22:13 Is it legal to lift the spring off the trapping (snap) portion of the mousetrap and attach the extension bar directly to the spring?
No, lifting the spring off the snap portion of the mousetrap would be a violation of 3.c.line 2 by modifying the mousetrap so that it would not function as intended and attaching the extension bar directly to the spring would be a violation of 3.c.lines 4-6, which states that items, other than the extension bar attached to the snap portion, may not be added to the mousetrap.
- 11/25/2012 - 14:53 May students connect the two snap bars and have one extension bar or connect the two extensions?
Yes, students are allowed to connect the 2 snap portions of the mousetraps with either one or two extension bars. The mousetraps may not be connected in any other way.
- Mission Possible
- 03/11/2013 - 21:24 I am having extreme difficulty finding dominoes less than 4.5cm x 2.5cm x 0.8cm in size. All stores seem to sell from the same manufacturer, which are too large. Can I grind down commercially made dominoes to meet the maximum size requirements?
Dominoes must be unaltered commercially manufactured and less than 6.0 cm x 3.0 cm x 1.0 cm. This increase in size is due to the difficulty of finding the smaller size dominoes in certain regions of the country.
- 11/26/2012 - 10:52 Please clarify what constitutes a "competition violation."
Any rule violation that occurs during the actual operation time is considered a competition violation. If there is not a penalty assessed per section 8, it will result in tier 2 placement.
- Boomilever - Div B
- 01/21/2013 - 22:21 Must teams use all 3 bolts to attach the Attachment Base of the Boomilever to the Testing Wall?
There is no requirement that teams must use all 3 bolts to attach their Boomilever to the testing wall.
- 04/03/2013 - 20:43 May competitors bring their own bolts to use instead of those provided if they fit the description in the rules?
No, Teams must use the equipment provided by the Event Supervisor.
- Helicopters
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