Battle of the Hill

BATTLE OF THE HILL

Team Roster

TEAM / BATTLER Name ______

Team captain ______Period ____

Member 1 ______Period ____

Member 2 ______Period ____

Member 3 ______Period ____

Battle of the hill

An engineering challenge

IMPORTANT: Do NOT lose your packet. I will not print off individual pages. It will cost you $2.00 for another packet. There was much time, effort and supplies put into creating this package. Do NOT lose it.

Battle of the Hill

The problem------

Your mission is to design and build a machinecalled a BATTLER from scratch made of “junk” materials that will climb a hillto the other side, and prevent your opponent from crossing in the opposite direction. The objective is to end the match with more of your battler on the other side of the hill than your opponent within 5 seconds.

The rules------

You may only use materials that are safe and acceptable by your instructor to build your battler without the use of any toxic or explosive means. Only mechanical energy can be used. A list of acceptable materials is provided for ideas. Students must clear any materials that are not listed. Any use of questionable or un-cleared materials will immediately be disqualified.
Your battler may not come from kits which includes but not restricted to pinewood derbies, LEGOs, K’nex, Erector Sets, etc. unless noted in the accepted materials list.
Your battler may use any means you can devise for reaching the other side of the hill and for preventing your opponent from reaching your side.
Your battler must be self-propelled. You may touch it to start but you may not give it a push. You may not touch it after the match has begun. No part of your body can be used as a launching mechanism i.e. slingshot. You may use a starter mechanism to start a trap or cut a string that is holding the vehicle in place and does not count as a launcher unless it is used to push or pull the battler.
No part of your battler or launcher may be left behind permanent or removable.
Your battler may be no longer than 35 cm. FROM LEADING EDGE TO THE END and no wider than 20 cm. at the moment it starts or set up to go. This dimension extends infinitely into space. Although there is a length and width restriction, there is no height restriction.
The hill will rise approximately 8 cm from its base. Each side of the hill will be about 90 cm. There will be a wall that is 8 cm high along the side to prevent battlers from falling off the side and the incline will be no less than 25 cm. wide.
Battlers will compete 2 at a time and begins with each battler sitting anywhere inside their respective red zone.
When the cue is given to release the battlers, both will climb up the hill towards the opposite side where their opponent began.
After about 5 seconds or when all motion has stopped, whichever comes first, the battler that has the most part of it on the opposite side or come closest to the top of the hill will be declared the winner.
A draw is declared if neither rover has moved beyond the starting line. A draw is also declared if both finished on the opposite side of each other.
It will be the best of 3 rounds. If by the end of three a winner is not declared, a fourth and final round is run. If there is still no winner then both battlers will not advance or no champion will be declared if it is a championship round.

Hill Photographs

This is what the hill looks like from a side view.

Here it is viewed from one side.

An online colored copy of this document is also available at

Acceptable List of Materials

The following is a list of materials that are allowed. If it’s not on the list, then it may not be used. You may request the use of a material in writing that is not on the list but the instructor’s decision is final. Your requested material will be made public to the rest of your competition if it is accepted.

--coffee, baby formula, or powdered juice cans of any size with / without lids
--plastic soda bottles with / without caps (up to 3 liters)
--office supply standard elastics (Officemax or Staples stock)
--standard Victor mousetraps or rat traps. Brands of similar design may also be used.
--lids from any other type of containers.
--retractable key chains or name tag holders.
--Ready made wheels (9 cm or less) and their axles from kits but nothing else from the kits.
--Springs
--Any glue, cement or solder
--Graphite (pencil lead) for use as lubricant only / --Any metal fasteners (paperclips, screws, bolts, nails, washers, bushings, etc.)
--Any tape of any kind
--Cardboard / cardboard tubing / cardboard box / foam board / posterboard
--wire coat hangers or wiring (for non-electrical usage)
-- string, yarn, rope, fishing line
--Raw / solid wood products of any kind (pencils are not a solid wood product)
--CD’s / Mini-CD’s (suggested – AOL, unusable / defective, no longer needed).
--paper cups, plates, napkins or just paper.
--Shells from pens (no cartridges)
--Foam
Materials that are definitely not allowed because of dangers allowed or just to make your life more difficult.
--Pencils
--PVC pipes
--Balloons
--Industrial (BIG BLACK) elastics for motors, vacuum heads, etc)
--Glass or plexiglass / --Live subjects
--Flammables
--Electrical (batteries, circuitry, etc.)
--Compressed gas (CO2 Cartridges, compression chambers, etc.)
--Wind-up or “rollback” motors from toys

Project notes------

* Students may work in teams of 1 – 4 members. Teams will keep a record of their design and development process in their project journal (see journal sheets in project packet).

* Students will provide all items for their projects except for the racing lane. The building materials are typical items commonly found around the house. Neighbors can be helpful as well. REMEMBER – NO READY MADE KITS OR COMMERCIAL KITS.

* The materials specified may be used in any manner that is safe. They can be shaped, cut, etc.

* Your battler may run on wheels or tracks, launch itself through the air (remember the launcher cannot be left behind), extend itself after the start (it still must remain within the size limits at the start), throw or drop an object beyond the starting line or lane. You battler may NOT advance just simply by falling forward.

* It must operate automatically once the machine is started and nothing is left behind.

* All mechanical energy, kinetic and potential, must come from the materials stated above. All energy in the entire battler must be mechanical. The use of chemical / combustible, electrical, thermal, or any other non-mechanical energy is prohibited and will be disqualified immediately. Pressurized gas (high / low) may not be used either.

*You may paint or use decals on your battler as long as it doesn’t provide any additional advantage to the battler.

*Battlers that do not meet qualifications on the day of the competition will not compete and will LOSE 75 points – you will have the opportunity to qualify your battler the Friday before competition and fix it before competition.

Suggestions AND Advices for Good Practices

READ YOUR MANUAL OVER AND OVER AGAIN. We will not be taking anymore class time to go over rules and restrictions. Double check you battler to see if it meets all qualifications – size restrictions, materials restrictions, and moves forward in the required manner mentioned in the manual.

START EARLY. Read what the journals are asking for. They require that you do something prior to answering the questions. An answer of “I didn’t do anything thing for that” or “I didn’t collect anything” or any versions thereof will not be accepted.

BUILD YOUR BATTLER AS SOON AS YOU CAN. Don’t wait until the last moment or last week to do this. Students who have built their battlers early are welcome to bring it in and get it tested by me for qualifications. I even offer advice and suggestions on how to make it even better, if possible.

ASK QUESTIONS. Don’t do this blindly. Ask questions from parents who can help but most importantly ask me since it will be me, your teacher, and not anyone else that has the final say on your project especially on what you can or can’t do with it and whether it qualifies or not.

FINALLY, DO THESE 4 THINGS:
READ YOUR MANUALLY REPEATEDLY
START EARLY
BUILD YOUR BATTLER AS SOON AS YOU CAN
ASK (ME) QUESTIONS

IMPORTANT COLLECTION DATES TO REMEMBER AND CHECK OFF:

___ Roster and contractual agreement / Friday Sept 12
___ Journal Entry I / Friday Sept 19
___ Journal Entry II / Thursday Sept 25
___ Journal Entry III / Friday Oct 3
___ Journal Entry IV / Friday Oct 10
___ Battler qualifying / Monday Oct 20
___ Peer Evaluation / Friday Oct 24
___ Battler competition / last chance qualification / Monday Oct 27

IMPORTANT:

It is your responsibility to adhere to the given collection dates. You must make an effort to get things in on by day they are collected, even if you have to send them with a parent or sibling or team mate. Email me your responses if you must. Team mates should have a copy anyway.

Your grade will be based on 4 parts:
1) 50 points for contractual agreement
2) 100 points will be given for the journal entries (4 entries at 25 points each)
3) 100 points for the finished qualifying * battler for competition
a) 25 points for having present on time for the qualifying date
b) 25 points for qualifying
c) 50 points for competing inbut not necessarily winning at least 1 round.
4) 50 points for your group / peer evaluation

Contractual Agreement Roster – Keep this Copy

Student Copy

Instructions

Read the following agreement, fill in the roster, and sign it. If you are working by yourself, then you only need to check one box. Those that are working in groups need to fill in however many people are involved up to three additional students. If you are in a group, you must designate a group leader / or captain in the designated box who will make appointments to meet, assign tasks and assign final evaluation grades. It is not necessary if you are by yourself.

Be sure you have your parents read and sign your roster. EVERYONE IN THE GROUP MUST TURN A ROSTER IN WITH THEIR PARENT SIGNATURE. You will not be able to compete if I don’t receive this signed roster from you (and all of your teammates) before the competition date.

Code of Conduct

Student participants are expected to compete with honest effort to follow the rules and the spirit of the competition. Team members are expected to be the builders of all the devices used. The goal of competition is to give one's best effort while displaying honesty, integrity, and sportsmanship. Students and guests are expected to display courtesy and respect toward the instructor and other teams and guests. Participants are also expected to follow the rules as intended by the instructor and not interpreted by the participants such as finding loopholes in the rules and regulations. Failure to show honesty, “playing fair” and/or courtesy by a participant or guest of the team may result in the disqualification of the team.

Participants have ample time to get clarifications with the instructor so all decisions made by the instructor are final. You may get advice from other people but you must remember that the instructor evaluates your final product and not the advisor.

Participants

I will be working (check the appropriate box[s]):

[ ] by myself

[ ] with Team Member 1 __Student Copy____

[ ] and Team Member 2 __Student Copy____

[ ] and Team Member 3 __Student Copy____

Our captain is:
Student copy

Final Notes:

All collection dates are given in this packet especially on the individual journal entries. You have until the collection day to get it turned in; it is not necessary to wait until the collection date to submit your project assignments. In fact, you may turn your whole project in tomorrow if you want but each part won’t be collected or graded until the collection dates.

THERE ARE NO EXCUSES for not turning them in, especially when you know when they are collected this far in advance. If you happen find out you won’t be present the next day, you MUST find a way to bring it to me by 3:00 PM on the collection date. Send the journal entries with a parent, sibling, or friend. Email the journal response entries if you must (). Your battler can also be here without you BUT I will wait for you to come back to get it qualified for competition.

Good Practices / Advice

Read and review your project manual repeatedly. We will not be taking anymore class time to go over rules and restrictions. Double check that to see if it meets all qualifications – size restrictions, materials restrictions and moves forward in the required manner mentioned in the manual.

Start Journal Entries Early. Read what the journals are asking for. They require that you do something prior to answering the questions. An answer of “I didn’t do anything thing for that” or “I didn’t collect anything” or any versions thereof will not be accepted.

Build Your Battler Early. Don’t wait until the last moment or last week to do this. Students who have built their battlers early are welcome to bring it in and get it tested by me for qualifications. I even offer advice and suggestions on how to make it even better, if possible.

Ask Questions. Don’t do this blindly. Ask questions from parents or other professionals who can help but most importantly ask your instructor since it will be your instructor and not anyone else that has the final say on your project evaluation and whether it qualifies or not.

Student’s agreement: I understand that it is my choice to work alone or in a group. I also understand that if I choose to work in a group that I will choose members that I know I can depend. I understand the expectations that have been placed on me by the teacher, my group members and / or by myself. I understand and accept the hardships related to my choice to work by myself or in a group. I understand that I will be held accountable for all assignments given to me by the teacher and / or assigned by the members of my group and the due dates that accompany them. It is my responsibility to report any problems or questions pertaining to only the project itself and not the actions of my fellow group members to the teacher as soon as they present themselves. It is my responsibility to resolve any conflicts I might encounter with my group members if choose to work in one.

Printed Name __Student Copy____ Signature __Student Copy____ Date ______

Parent’s agreement: I have read my son’s / daughter’s project assignment and understand what is expected of him / her. I will encourage my son / daughter to open communications with the teacher pertaining only to rule clarifications. I have also read the student’s agreement above and support my son’s / daughter’s choice.

Parent’s Signature __Student Copy____ Date ______

COLLECTION DATE : / Friday, September 12th

Contractual Agreement Roster – Sign and Submit this Copy

Print Name ______

Instructions

Code of Conduct

Participants

I will be working (check the appropriate box[s]):

[ ] by myself

[ ] with Team Member 1 ______

[ ] and Team Member 2 ______

[ ] and Team Member 3 ______

Our captain is:

Final Notes: