| Objective |
Student teams will be given, at the start of the event (not before), a construction task (Example: 'build the tallest, free standing tower.') to complete within a time limit. Each team will have 10 minutes to plan together and then 20 minutes to build. The remaining time will be used for clean-up and scoring. |
| Participants |
Teams of up to 6 people. |
| Materials |
Materials supplied by the Science Olympics Committee:
In a ziploc bag:
- 6.0 m of twine;
- 12 elastic bands 3.5" x 0.25".
- 25 toothpicks.
- 25 Craft Sticks 4.5" x 3/8" x 1/12"
- 25 wooden coffee stirrers 7" x 0.25" x 1/16"
- 25 paper clips 2", corrugated
- 1 30 cm ruler;
- 1 pair of scissors;
- 1 pencil;
The following additional materials will be provided for the construction
of the structure:
- 1 sheet of bristol board 22½" x 28½"
- 4 sheets of bond paper, 8.5" x 11"
- 10 Sheets of newspaper
- 2 m of 1/2" green painters masking tape
- Five paper cups
- Tennis balls
- The judges may also supply a mystery item or two.
Download the kit list and sources. |
| Rules |
Teams must use only the equipment (scissors, rulers etc.) and materials (string, tape, newspaper, etc.) that are provided. No additional equipment or construction materials will be allowed. |
| FAQ |
Q1: Can the scissors, stapler, ruler and pencil be used as components of the structure the students are building?
A1: Only the building materials are allowed to be part of the structure. The tools may not be so used.
|
| Judging |
The specific judging criteria will be given only at the time of the event in hopes that pre-planning is minimized and that ingenuity is maximized. |
| Clean Up |
Each team will help clean up their area of the room, and re-fill the zip-loc bags with the correct amount of replacement materials. Teams that clean up neatly and re-fill the Ziploc bags accurately will be awarded bonus points. |
| Preparation |
In preparation, teams might consider trying to build any 'highest', 'widest', or 'most supportive' structure by using paper and tape. This event in past years was to: "Build the tallest free-standing structure that supported the most tennis balls." Points were awarded as follows: height (cm) x number of tennis balls. |
| Source |
London District Science Olympics.
This event was designed by Dennis Trankner and John Welbourn. It has been expanded by John Budge. |
