what is propeller pitch Propeller pitch is officially defined as “the distance a propeller would move in one revolution if it were moving through a soft solid, like a screw through wood.” Although this may by hard to grasp, the distance the propeller would move forward in one rotation can be adjusted by the angle…
The process In this post, you will learn how to build a parachute optimized for Science Olympiad’s Ping Pong Parachute event. Step 1: Weigh your ping pong ball Before you begin to build your parachute it is important to first weigh the ping pong ball that you are going to use with that parachute. Measuring…
What is gravity vehicle A gravity vehicle is model car that is powered solely by gravitational potential energy. Many science and engineering competitions, such as Science Olympiad, host gravity vehicle competitions to help teach basic physic concepts to students. To learn more about gravity vehicles, see our other post: View Post how to improve your…
What’s the secret Calculate lever arm length If you have extra space on your car, then you should use that room to increase the size of your lever arm, right? Not necessarily. The best way to go about determining the size your lever arm needs to be is to simply calculate it and then add…
What you need to consider Building a mousetrap car can be a enjoyable and educational experience for many future scientists and engineers. However, when designing a mousetrap car to specifically cater towards a competition, it is important to ask yourself the following questions: 1. what are you trying to achieve? This is an important question…
What is a transition The transition is the phase of a glider’s fight wherein the glider shifts from the launching phase to the gliding phase. The transition of the glider can be adjusted by increasing the launch angle, bank angle, or launch power. To learn more about why transitions are important, check out our other…
Why is weight important Weight is a key factor any catapult or elastic launched glider competition. In fact, many competitions restrict the minimum mass that the glider can weigh to challenge competitors to work around the burden because of its importance. To learn more about why weight is important, check out our other post “3…
What you need to win secret 1: Get a good Transition The transition is the phase of a glider’s fight wherein the glider shifts from the launching phase to the gliding phase. The transition of the glider can be adjusted by increasing the launch angle, bank angle, or launch power. Getting a good transition is…
What is boomilever A boomilever is model cantilever that is designed to hold 15kg. Many science and engineering competitions, such as Science Olympiad, host boomilever competitions to help teach basic physic concepts to students. In this post, we will outline the basic concepts needed to consider when creating a boomilever and how to optimize those…
What is ping pong parachute Ping pong parachute is an engineering-based event hosted by Science Olympiad where students are tasked to build and test a bottle rocket indoors that deploys a parachute that holds a ping pong ball. The objective to achieve the highest time aloft for the ping pong ball. These concepts also apply…