Sand Timer Task

[Jim_R]

Discussion for the Sand Timer task.

[Flavorflav]

Clarifications aren't open yet, so for the heck of it I'll ask my question here. Under 3.m, it says "electricity must not be used for further actions after the sand timer has started." Do you suppose they mean after it has started and before it has completed, or from that point on? i.e., if the sand timer is your second task, are you forbidden electricity for the rest of the run, or simply until it initiates the next action? The way it is worded suggests the former, but I suspect the intent was the latter.

[Dark Sabre]

I would assume that "after the sand timer has started" refers to any time after the first grain of sand falls.

I'm fairly sure that they intend for you to not use electricity at any point after the start of the sand timer. Time and clarifications will tell, but that's what I think they mean for you to do.

[maggymay]

Clarifications aren't open yet, so for the heck of it I'll ask my question here. Under 3.m, it says "electricity must not be used for further actions after the sand timer has started." Do you suppose they mean after it has started and before it has completed, or from that point on? i.e., if the sand timer is your second task, are you forbidden electricity for the rest of the run, or simply until it initiates the next action? The way it is worded suggests the former, but I suspect the intent was the latter.

Wait...how do you guys already have your manuals/event lists? We ordered ours August 31st and they're not *here* yet...(grump).

maggymay

[Flavorflav]

I would assume that "after the sand timer has started" refers to any time after the first grain of sand falls.

I'm fairly sure that they intend for you to not use electricity at any point after the start of the sand timer. Time and clarifications will tell, but that's what I think they mean for you to do.

Hmm. That seems a strange thing to do. The final task is easy enough to begin without electricity, so all that the rule really accomplishes is to make everybody do the timer last. I wonder what the rationale is.

ETA: maggymay, I ordered mine August 31, too, and they arrived today.

[fleet130]

Wait...how do you guys already have your manuals/event lists? We ordered ours August 31st and they're not *here* yet

I ordered them on the 8th of Aug from the Science Olympiad Web Store & got them a few days ago. Historically, orders are processed in the order received. Don't know how many orders they can process in a day.

[Flavorflav]

This question is not actually about the sand timer task, but I don't see another place to put it. For the starting task, it says "the quarter must physically touch and snap the mousetrap." Would you interpret that as suggesting that the quarter must touch the original mousetrap trigger, or do you think you could extend or replace the trigger with some kind of quarter-catcher? I honestly don't read it that way myself, but it would be much easier to drop the quarter into a cup on top of the trigger.

[Dark Sabre]

I think that the quarter itself has to directly touch the mousetrap. You could modify the mousetrap extensively, in my opinion, but the quarter had better touch some original component with nothing between the two.

[penclspinner]

This question is not actually about the sand timer task, but I don't see another place to put it. For the starting task, it says "the quarter must physically touch and snap the mousetrap." Would you interpret that as suggesting that the quarter must touch the original mousetrap trigger, or do you think you could extend or replace the trigger with some kind of quarter-catcher? I honestly don't read it that way myself, but it would be much easier to drop the quarter into a cup on top of the trigger.

Well in my interpretation of the rules it does not say "unmodified" mousetrap like they used in Mousetrap Vehicle C 2010 rules so I guess you might be able to argue that because it does not contain that word that you could modify the mousetrap. I would be careful about modifying the mousetrap too far, in your situation I would want to be able to prove that the mousetrap could still operate as intended ie still kill a mouse even with the modifications.

[bearasauras]

You can always put a funnel over the mousetrap so that the quarter will land on the trigger