Rockets!
The information below is subject to change as
more event tips and details are included. Please monitor this page
regularly.
Faculty coordinators: Professor Hui Deng [dengh@umich.edu] and
Professor James Liu [jimliu@umich.edu].
Event Description:
The goal of this event is to hit a target on a tall building using an air powered rocket. The rockets
are launched from a standard launch pad, which allows the angle to be adjusted. Each team may make a
total of three attempts to hit the target, with the anticipation that adjustments to the launch angle and
launch speed will be made between attempts. In addition to the target event, there will be a quiz
testing the basic concepts of projectile motion. The total event score is then the sum of the quiz
score and the target event score.
Event Location and Time:
Near Dennison lawn. The air rockets will be aimed at the side of the Dennison high rise building.
10:30AM - 11:50AM and 1:00PM - 2:50PM
Apparatus and Materials:
-
A set of standard Sol-Air Air-Powered Projectiles ("air rockets").
-
Regular bicycle pump.
- The launch speed is controlled by thrust washers, which pop off at a fixed pressure.
Four different washers (low, medium, high and super) will be available for use.
-
The rockets are mounted on a hinged wooded launch pad. A set of
six wedges will be available for changing the launch angle.
Note:
Teams are encouraged to practice with their own rockets prior to the Physics Olympiad. However,
only the official air rockets may be used for the actual event.
For teams interested in practicing prior to the Physics Olympiad, these air rockets are available
from Arbor Scientific (see http://www.arborsci.com/detail.aspx?ID=342).
The following items comprise a standard set:
P4-2200 Air-Powered Projectile
P4-2210 Launch Pad
P4-2215 Angle Wooden Wedges
P4-2222 Heavy-Duty Air Pump
Event Rules:
-
Teams: Each team shall have two members.
-
Quiz: Each team will take the quiz during their turn of the rocket launch.
-
Rockets: The provided air rockets must be used in this event. Team members must adhere to safety rules specified by the range
safety officer, and must wear the provided safety goggles.
- Weather conditions: The contest director, in consultation with the range safety officer,
has the authority to modify or cancel this event due to adverse weather conditions.
- Test launches: There will be no test launches, either before or during the event.
Teams are expected to adjust their aim during their sequence of officially scored launches.
- Competition order: The teams will participate sequentially in this event. The launch order will be
assigned randomly prior to the start of competition.
- Competition procedure: Each team will have 15 minutes (subject to change by the contest director in order
to accommodate the number of participating teams) to take the quiz and finish three launches. All launches will be
supervised by the range safety officer, who also has permission to cancel further launches if the team is found to
be following unsafe procedures. One team member must stay by the rocket launcher at all times. The other member may retrieve
the rockets after they are launched.
Judging Criteria:
-
Theoretical score: The quiz has a full score of 20 points.
-
Experimental score: Hitting the target achieves a score of 80 points. If a launch misses the target,
points are deducted according to the following table:
| Distance from target
| Discount Points
|
| Direct hit |
0 |
| Vertically off by 1 floor |
-20 |
| Vertically off by 2 floors |
-40 |
| Vertically off by 3+ floors but still on the building |
-60 |
| Horizontally off by 1 to 2 windows |
-5 |
| Horizontally off by 3 to 4 windows |
-10 |
| Horizontally off by 5+ windows but still on the building |
-20 |
| Miss the building |
-80 |
Scores are determined by a team of two judges, and their decision is final.
The event score will be the average of the scores from all three launches plus the score of the quiz.
- Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the teams with the highest three scores, respectively. In the event of a tie,
the tie will be broken in favor of the team with the highest score on the quiz. If these points are identical,
the highest points on the third (and subsequently the second, and the first) launch will break the tie.
