2015-2016 RARC Competition 2 - Middle School …...Greenland is one of the many locations where aurora borealis, or the northern lights, can be viewed. Other locations include Alaska,

2015-2016 RARC Competition 2 - Middle School Division Guidelines - Page 1

The Wonders of the World

Congratulations on completing your first adventure and advancing on to the next leg in your journey! Once again, your team will crisscross five oceans and seven continents as you explore the Wonders of the World, learn about them and the communities that surround them, and, in some cases, help preserve them for future generations to experience. Your second adventure will allow you to learn about man-made wonders - Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and the Colosseum - and natural wonders - the Valley of Geysers, Denali, and Aurora Borealis over Greenland.

❖ The Colosseum, or Flavian Amphitheater, is located in Rome, Italy. It is three stories tall, took approximately one decade to build, and accommodated over 50,000 spectators (what percentage of people from your home city could fit in the Colosseum?). Gladiatorial games, chariot races, theatrical performances, and mock naval battles for which the arena was flooded were hosted at the Colosseum. The architecture of the Colosseum inspired the design of many modern day sports stadiums. After several centuries of use and then abandonment, the Colosseum was in need of restoration, and restoration efforts began in the 1990s. Your team is responsible for building support columns needed to continue the restoration process and delivering them to the Colosseum.

❖ Machu Picchu (“Old Peak”) is set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru. Its isolated location and surrounding vegetation allowed it to remain preserved and undisturbed for centuries. Machu Picchu is believed to have been built during the 15th Century during the Inca Empire. The site demonstrates the Inca’s sophistication with examples of advanced architectural techniques and engineering and agricultural abilities. The exact purpose of the community is unknown; it may have been a religious site, an estate for Inca royalty, a farming village, or all three. Also unknown is the exact reason for its demise although the primary theory is Spanish invaders. Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 when American archeologist Hiram Bingham and a team of explorers were led there by an eleven year old Peruvian boy. Your team is asked to meet another explorer at Machu Picchu where he will give you something he discovered in the Peruvian mountains, and your team will transport the package to the Taj Mahal or Chichen Itza.

➢ The Taj Mahal was built in the early to mid-1600’s on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, India, to serve as the final resting place for Emperor Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal. The beauty of the Taj Mahal is so great that over 3 million tourists visit the site each year. The mausoleum was constructed of white marble and decorated with semi-precious stones. The Taj Mahal’s dome is topped with a main finial that was originally made of gold but was later replaced by a gilded bronze finial. If the discovery at Machu Picchu is real gold, your team will be asked to deliver it to the Taj Mahal so restoration team can recreate the gold finial. Hint: The density of gold is 19.32g/cm3.

➢ Like Machu Picchu, the history of Chichen Itza ("at the mouth of the well of the Itza"), a Mayan city on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, is not clear because written records are scarce from that time period. It is believed that Chichen Itza existed as a ceremonial center for the Mayan civilization beginning as early as 500 AD. Although few written records exist, the sophistication of the Mayan people can be found


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itza

through the massive and symbolic pyramids and temples, carved columns and sculptures, astronomy observatory, and multiple sports fields. If the discovery at Machu Picchu is pyrite, your team will be asked to deliver it to Chichen Itza so that it can be sold to a paper manufacturer or battery manufacturer in Mexico with the profits benefitting the maintenance of Chichen Itza. Hint: The density of pyrite is 5g/cm3.

❖ The Valley of Geysers in Kronotsky State Natural Biosphere Reserve in Kamchatka, Russian Far East was discovered by female geologist Tatyana Ustinova in 1941. It is one of the largest geyser fields in the world and contains hot springs, too. The area is almost 5 miles long and up to 1,312 feet deep. Traveling to see the Valley of the Geysers is difficult due to the remote location so helicopters are the easiest form of transportation. Unfortunately, the Valley of Geysers suffered from landslides in June 2007 and January 2014. The geysers are still active but less than originally thought. Your team’s task is to deliver mechanical equipment to the Valley of the Geysers, so that the helicopters belonging to a team of ecologists and geologists can be repaired, and the scientific team can continue to survey the damage and activity of the geysers.

❖ Denali (“the high one”), the tallest mountain in North America at 20,310 feet above sea level, is located in Denali National Park & Preserve (formerly known as Mount McKinley National Park) in Alaska. It is the third highest of the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, following Mount Everest in Nepal and Aconcagua in Argentina. During the winter, average temperatures on Denali can range from -30F to -70F. Additionally, the jet stream in the winter can be +100 miles per hour on the mountain’s upper flanks. Like the Valley of Geysers, Denali can be difficult to access, and helicopters are sometimes used. Your team’s task is to deliver mechanical equipment to Denali so that the U.S. National Park Service’s helicopters can be maintained in preparation for emergencies.

❖ Greenland is one of the many locations where aurora borealis, or the northern lights, can be viewed. Other locations include Alaska, Northern Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and even the International Space Station. According to the Northern Lights Centre, aurora borealis is the result of collisions between gaseous particles in Earth's atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere. Variations in color are due to the type of gas particles that are colliding. The most common auroral color, a pale yellowish-green, is produced by oxygen molecules located about 60 miles above the earth. Rare, all-red auroras are produced by high-altitude oxygen, at heights of up to 200 miles. Nitrogen produces a blue or purplish-red aurora. Your team’s task is to decipher how many of each element to take to Greenland to keep the light show going.

❖ The Great Wall of China is actually numerous walls and man-made and natural fortifications that stretch more than 13,000 miles long from east to west. Your team is asked to pick up a fellow explorer in need of transportation from Antarctica to the Great Wall of China. Be careful to deliver him on land for his safety and four inches from the wall to prevent any damage to the 2,000 year old man-made wonder.

Adventure Awaits!


http://kronoki.ru/

Rules and Regulations Competition General Rules

❏ There will only be one event on competition day: a robotics challenge with two rounds and only the best score of the two rounds will be used for overall competition awards.

❏ Teams will have time between rounds to go to the pit area. ❏ Trophies will be awarded to the top three teams in each division (elementary, middle, and high school). Only the top score out of each round will be used. ❏ Only student team members are allowed in robotics challenge areas. Team members must ensure that they do not block the judge's’ view. ❏ Robots must be presented for a compliance check at the challenge area entrance before going to the competition mats. ❏ In the event that the robot breaks down during the challenge, the team will not be given any extra time to fix the robot. ❏ The role of an adult is that of a facilitator and thus all work prior to and at the competitions should be the work of students and not adults. Adults are not

allowed to use team computers or to touch robotics equipment during the competition. Teams who receive unauthorized aid will be disqualified. ❏ Teams are not allowed to program another team’s robot or to maliciously modify another team’s robot design or programming. Teams will be disqualified

for these actions. ❏ The RARC committee makes every effort to provide a detailed set of rules for each competition. If you believe that a rule needs further clarification or that a

detail might have been left out, please submit your questions/concerns prior to the competition on the Competition Questions tab of the Coaches’ page. The committee will then meet to clarify and make a final decision on the rules. These clarifications/decisions will be posted on the same page. Please monitor the webpage for updated guidelines and clarifying questions.

❏ Coaches are responsible for verifying that all students have read and understand the rules of the competition. In the interest of time, teams are expected to know the rules when they go to the mat and to begin competing immediately.

❏ Judges and RARC Committee members understand the need for fairness across all challenges. No video or photographic record made by judges, team coaches/parents, spectators, or students of an event will be used for judging purposes.

❏ Except to go to and from the competition mats, technology (robots, laptops, external drives, etc.) is not allowed to leave or enter the team

preparation area after opening ceremonies.


Rules and Regulations continued

Robot Design Rules

❏ Robots must not exceed the dimensions of 12” width by 12” length and a height of 12”. The robot, including all components such as cables, must fit these dimensions in its starting position in the home base, e.g., cannot turn it on its side to fit the dimensions.

❏ Robots may only utilize 1 NXT/EV3 intelligent brick, 3 NXT/EV3 motors, and 1 battery source as part of the robot. ❏ Teams may not use extra batteries, intelligent bricks, or motors as weight. ❏ Robots must be autonomous and may not be remotely controlled. ❏ Teams may not use any materials (for example: oil, glue, and tape) that may adversely impact another team’s performance. String or rubber bands may be

used as long as they do not adversely affect another team’s performance. ❏ Things to keep in mind:

❏ Lighting conditions from mat to mat and location of mat can affect the performance of the robot. ❏ There might be bumps or uneven sections under the mat. ❏ The mats may not lose their waviness even if rolled out ahead of time at the competition location. ❏ Mats will be taped using 2 inch blue painter’s tape around the perimeter of the mat to keep them in place. The outer portion of the tape will serve as

the final border for the mat. Note that teams should avoid using the edge of the mat as a guide since the tape edge can affect the performance of the bot.


Robotics Challenge Rules Before Play

❏ Robots must start the round in home base and no part of the robot, game pieces, or alignment guides may extend past the base boundaries before the start

of the round or when resetting the field . ❏ All team members may approach the competition mat. The team captain should be the only team member touching the robot while other team members

assist with building items. Team member should be sure they are not blocking the judges’ views, casting a shadow on the mat, or interfering with play in any way.

❏ Teams are allowed to bring the competition guidelines to the mat but judges will not give extra time to read and/or review them.

During Play

❏ Teams will have a maximum of 2 minutes from when the judge announces “GO” to complete as many of the challenge tasks as possible. Consider strategy! ❏ The round continues until the 2 minutes have elapsed or the team captain calls “TIME.” ❏ The only time that a team member is allowed to touch the robot is when positioning or modifying (changing attachments) the robot in home base. ❏ If students touch the bot while it is outside of the home base, the bot must be immediately returned to home base and any pieces left as they are on the mat. ❏ If one drive wheel (wheels attached to a motor and used to drive robot) goes off the mat, students must stop the bot immediately and return the robot to

home base. Any pieces that were moved off the mat during this process must remain off the mat, i.e., the students can not move/retrieve them by hand. ❏ No items outside of home base on the mat may be touched by hand during the round. ❏ Students may interact with the game pieces and robot without penalty while the game pieces and robot are located in home base. ❏ Students are not allowed to modify the playing field while attempting to retrieve their robots while the round is still in motion. The judges may make the

decision, at their discretion, to not score any task that was modified by the students/the robot in the event that the bot modifies the field after going off the mat.

❏ The team captain may tell the judge “TIME” and the judge will stop the official time. Once time is called, the round may not be restarted. ❏ Robots must not exceed the dimensions of 12” width by 12” length and a height of 12” during play.

After Play

❏ In order to increase the accuracy of the scoring, only the end state of the field will be scored. The teams must be careful in their game strategies because an action of the robot might alter the previous state of the field.

❏ Neither students nor judges are allowed to touch or otherwise modify the end state of the field until the scoring has been completed. ❏ Scoring will be conducted electronically, and team captains are encouraged to review their teams’ score sheet with the mat judge after the judge has

completed marking the end state of the field. Teams may use the Scoring Sheet on page 6 as a sample score sheet as in previous competitions. ❏ In the event that paper score sheets are used, team captains will need to bring their teams’ score sheets to the scorekeeper’s table for tabulation. ❏ No video or photographic record made by judges, team coaches/parents, spectators, or students of an event will be used for judging purposes.


❏ The pieces are considered to be “in,” “touching, ” “on” or “delivered to” the surface if at least part of the game piece is touching or is inside of the boundary of the required field. See graphic to the right.


Scoring Sheet Team Name_________________________________________________ Mat A B C D E F G H Round 1 2

Begin the adventure-This task must be done first.

Objective: Start at home base and use a touch sensor to activate robot movement ❏ +25 points are awarded for using touch sensors to go to the correct location (Valley of the Geysers or Denali) based on the drawing of the card. Teams may

NOT collect any items while attempting to complete this task. Mechanical equipment Objective: Deliver mechanical equipment to the Valley of Geysers or Denali

❏ +10 points for assembling the equipment while at the mat according to the specifications - the pieces will be provided in a bin at or near home base. ❏ +50 points for delivering the correctly assembled equipment to the white box on the Valley of Geysers or Denali as determined by the drawn card ❏ -30 points for moving the Great Wall of China at any time during the round

Column Supports

Objective: Build column supports and deliver to the Colosseum ❏ +25 points for column supports standing at the end of the round ❏ +10 points for each block used to construct the column supports and delivered to the white box at the Colosseum - only approved, provided blocks may be

used. ❏ +20 points for delivering the column supports without moving the frame around the white box at the Colosseum at anytime during the round

Explorer Transport Objective: Deliver explorer to Great Wall of China

❏ +40 points for delivering the explorer 4 inches away from the Great Wall of China on land (not ocean) and in a standing position OR ❏ +20 points for delivering the explorer 4 inches away from the Great Wall of China on land (not ocean) and in a position other than standing

Package Delivery Objective: Deliver the package from Machu Picchu to either Taj Mahal or Chichen Itza

❏ +10 points for collecting the density calculations located at the compass rose ❏ +40 points for taking the package from Machu Picchu to (touching) the white box at the proper location based on the density

Aurora Borealis Objective: Travel to aurora borealis and deliver color blocks in the order specified by the cypher on pages 16-17. All elements must be successfully delivered in order to receive the 40 points. Partial points will not be awarded for this task

❏ +40 points for correctly delivering all of the specified elements (2x2 LEGO blocks) to the white box located at Greenland - Ending position-This task must be done last. Objective: End the round at the Amazon


❏ +40 points for having your team’s robot finish at the Amazon - at least one drive wheel (wheels attached to a motor and used to drive robot) of the robot must be touching the white box at the ending location.

❏ -15 points for each tree that is moved from its original location/no longer touching a green box next to the Amazon

Bonus

❏ +1 point per every second under the two minute time limit IF all tasks are successfully completed to the highest point possible for that task *Note: The tasks, with the exception of the ending position and start of the adventure, do not have to be accomplished in a certain order as the judges will only score the end state of the field. It is up to the team to choose the strategy that will maximize its points.


Items Needed for Competition

Gold/Pyrite Package Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4:

Column supports for Colosseum 2x2 (10)

Box for students to lift columns supports over at Colosseum 90 degree 2x2 snap (4) 7 m beam (4)


Great Wall of China Height of 3.5 (± 0.25) inches and a length of 6 inches

The board will be placed inside the white rectangular box that represents the Great Wall of China with the long side of the board parallel to the long side of the box.

Trees 2x2 bricks (2) - One for each tree

Explorer Set of legs (x1) Upper-body (x1) Head (x1)

Coupler PVC

1 inch PVC Schedule 40 Coupler. “Official” clue holders will be bought at the Home Depot SKU#188-085. A label clue, made using a Dymo LetraTag label maker, will be located on the inside portion of the coupler.


Mechanical Equipment

❏ 3m beam (x3) ❏ 5.5 (x1) m cross axle with stop Link to video build: ❏ Beam 3m with 4 snaps (x2) Equipment Build ❏ Gear wheel z24 (x1)

Building Instructions for Engineering Equipment: Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg4Hr3i3RPw

Middle School Field Layout

❏ The competition mat can be purchased through StickersBanners.com. More information on ordering mats can be found on the RARC website at

http://www.nicerc.org/pages/competitionmats/. ❏ Note: The letters, words, arrows do not appear in the actual mat and are only being used to help describe the challenge.


http://www.nicerc.org/pages/competitionmats/

http://www.nicerc.org/pages/competitionmats/

**Teams May Perform The Following Tasks in Any Order With the Exception of the Ending Location and Starting from Home Base.**

Begin the adventure-This task must be done first.

Objective: Use two touch sensors, one sensor programmed to travel to Denali National Park and the other to travel to the Valley of Geysers. Teams must send the robot to the proper location by pressing one of the touch sensors. This task must be completed first. The robot must hover over the white box or deliver the mechanical equipment to the white box at the proper location. Only after this task is completed may the robot accomplish any other tasks that involve collecting or delivering items other than the mechanical equipment. Teams may NOT collect any items while attempting to complete this task. The location will be determined by the team captain drawing a card at the start of play. If the card indicates Denali National Park, the robot should display a happy face. If the card indicates Valley of Geysers, the robot should display a sad face. No points will be awarded without using a touch sensor or traveling to the wrong location. Additionally, no points will be awarded if teams collect or deliver items other than the mechanical equipment during this task.

❏ +25 points are awarded for using touch sensors correctly Mechanical Equipment Objective: Assemble mechanical equipment according to the specifications on page 10 and deliver it to the Valley of Geysers or Denali National Park. The location is determined by the card drawn at the start of play. Teams must be careful and lookout for the Great Wall of China because teams will be penalized if the wall is moved.

❏ +10 points for assembling the equipment according to the specifications while at the mat - the pieces will be provided in a bin at or near home base. ❏ +50 points for delivering the correctly assembled equipment to the white box on the Valley of Geysers or Denali National Park - the equipment must be

touching the white box. ❏ -30 points for moving the Great Wall of China during the round - penalty is only assessed once.

Column Supports

Objective: Teams will collect column materials (2x2 LEGO bricks) placed in random locations on the mat and use the collected materials to build column supports. Columns supports are a free build but your team may only use the 10 provided, approved bricks. Think about the best possible way to build column supports and be able to transport the column supports to the new location. Column supports are to be delivered to the Colosseum and placed on the mat inside of the provided LEGO frame without moving the frame at anytime. Max points are awarded to teams who place the column supports (made from all 10 bricks) on the mat inside the frame (+100 points). No part of the Colosseum supports should be touching the mat outside of the frame in order for full points to be awarded. NO points will be awarded to teams not placing the column supports inside the frame.

❏ +25 points for column supports standing at the end of the round ❏ +10 points for each block used in the construction of the column supports and correctly delivered on the mat inside frame and white box at the Colosseum ❏ +20 points for not moving the foundation/frame at anytime during the round

Explorer Transport Objective: Collect the explorer from Antarctica and transport him within 4 inches of the Great Wall of China. Teams will not be awarded points if the base of the explorer is touching any part of the map that indicates water at his end position.

❏ +40 points for delivering explorer (standing upright) within 4 inches of the Great Wall of China OR ❏ +20 points for delivering explorer (not standing) within 4 inches of the Great Wall of China


Package Delivery Objective: Determine the difference between real gold and pyrite. Teams will retrieve a clue placed inside a PVC coupler located on the compass rose. Teams will determine the end location to deliver the package from Machu Picchu based on density calculations inside the coupler. Pyrite is to be delivered to Chichen Itza and gold to Taj Mahal. Teams will not receive points for delivering to the wrong location.

❏ +50 points for taking the package from Machu Picchu to the proper location - the package must be touching the white box at the correct location. Aurora Borealis Objective: Travel to aurora borealis and deliver color blocks in the order specified by the cypher on pages 16-17. All elements (2x2 LEGO blocks) must be successfully delivered in order to receive the 40 points. Partial points will not be awarded for this task The 2x2 LEGO blocks will be located in a bin at home base.

❏ +40 points for correctly delivering all of the specified elements to the white box located at Greenland - the elements must be touching the white box at Greenland.

Ending Position-This task must be done last.

Objective: Travel the Amazon to discover a natural wonder but watch out for possible obstacles nearby. ❏ +40 points for having your team’s robot finish at the Amazon - at least one drive wheel (wheels attached to a motor and used to drive robot) of the robot

must be touching the white box at the ending location. ❏ -15 points for each tree that is moved from its original location/no longer touching a green box next to the Amazon

Bonus Objective: The robot performs all tasks successfully in less than the allotted time.

❏ +1 point per every second under the two minute time limit IF all tasks are successfully completed to the maximum amount of points possible for that task and no penalties were assessed (For example, Jones Middle 1 successfully completes all tasks which includes placing the explorer upright on land four inches from the Great Wall of China in 1:30 seconds. This team will receive a 30 point bonus. Smith Middle 5 completes all tasks but does not deliver the explorer upright. This team will not receive the bonus as all tasks were not successfully completed to the maximum points possible.)


Cypher

Solve the following cypher to discover the order of the blocks to be delivered to the box located in Greenland. HINT: Messages can often be hidden within another message. This type of cypher code is often referred to as “skip code.” In this particular cypher, it is best to look at entire words rather than letters.

Use of sensors increases the accuracy of the pattern that is used as a tool for a team competition training guide which is used for gaining knowledge of placing the robots in the correct starting position blocks that allows for on field adjustments after the robot completes the right program with flying colors.



Teacher Resources for Additional Learning http://www.historyforkids.net/the-colosseum.html http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/colosseum http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/engineering/greatwallofchina.html https://www.nasa.gov/content/northern-lights-viewed-from-the-international-space-station http://valleyofgeysers.com/ http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/1913/04/machu-picchu/bingham-text https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite

http://www.softschools.com/facts/wonders_of_the_world/chichen_itza_facts/75/ http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/chichen-itza/ http://pbskids.org/nova/denali/news.html


http://www.historyforkids.net/the-colosseum.html

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/colosseum

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/engineering/greatwallofchina.html

https://www.nasa.gov/content/northern-lights-viewed-from-the-international-space-station

http://valleyofgeysers.com/

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/1913/04/machu-picchu/bingham-text

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite

http://www.softschools.com/facts/wonders_of_the_world/chichen_itza_facts/75/

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/chichen-itza/

http://pbskids.org/nova/denali/news.html

Overall Competition Scoring Scores:

Robotics performance component = 400 points possible not including the bonus (highest out of the two rounds)

Tie: Time will be used as the deciding factor. In the event that multiple top teams (1st – 3rd) have the same scores and time, a tiebreaker robotics performance round will be conducted between those teams that have the same scores in order to appropriately place each team.

Tips for Success!

❏ Teams should read all of the rules prior to starting preparation for the competition. ❏ Students can use the robot educator part of the software to see walkthroughs about different aspects of programming the robots as well as building tips. ❏ Teams should assign jobs to the students, and students should be aware of their respective roles when they go to the mat. ❏ Teams should not wait until the last minute to go to the mat; this increases the chance of teams underperforming due to stress. ❏ Teams should break the board in zones and look at which tasks are located in each zone and the difficulty of each task. ❏ Keep in mind that just because tasks are located in the same area of the field does not mean that teams should attempt to do them together; it might be

better to do another task to get more points or easier points prior to attempting a task. ❏ Look at the obstacles on the field. Think about how they can affect the movement/path of your robot. ❏ A bot that looks cool may not perform as well as a robot that does not have a great appearance. ❏ Don’t think about using the most amount of space in the home base but rather whether the robot design/structure will actually help you perform the tasks.

Some teams get carried away with the size, and their bots become impractical. ❏ Teams should not use the edge of the mat since the tape used to secure the mat to the floor can affect how the robot and game pieces behave. ❏ Speed and accuracy are inverse of each other, i.e., the faster you do something the more likely you are to mess it up. It is a good idea to start slowly and then

increase speed as you practice your missions. This will let you find a balance between speed and accuracy. ❏ Practice, practice, practice the tasks until you have the right strategy!


Thank you to the RARC partners:

… and all of the RARC committee members 2015-2016 RARC Competition 2 - Middle School Division Guidelines - Page 20

2015-2016 RARC Competition 2 - Middle School …...Greenland is one of the many locations where aurora borealis, or the northern lights, can be viewed. Other locations include Alaska,

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