Energy Transfer Box

Guidelines, Rules and Regulations

The goal of this competition is to design, build and demonstrate a "Rube Goldberg device" that incorporates different energy transfers to accomplish the task of bursting a balloon.

Rules :

1. Teams will build a device that, in the most indirect and complicated possible manner, completes the otherwise simple task of popping a balloon within four minutes. The device’s action will be initiated by dropping a metal marble (mass = 35.8 g, diameter = 20.63 mm) into the top of the box, triggering a transfer of energy from gravitational potential energy into some other form of energy, which will trigger another form of energy, and so forth until the final action bursts an air-filled balloon somewhere in the device.

2. A balloon will be given to the team by the judges. It will be approximately 2 inches in diameter. The team will have 4 minutes to place the balloon within their device. It must be visible from at least one side. The last action, or energy transfer, is to pop the balloon.

3. The only connections to the device will be a 12 V DC / 0.5 A (max) electrical signal.

4. The timing will commence when the event supervisor says "go". The clock will not be stopped if the machine stops, jams, or otherwise fails.

5. If an energy transfer should fail to occur -- except the final action responsible for bursting the balloon -- the team will be allowed to touch or adjust the device in order to trigger the next action. However, no points will be awarded for a failed energy transfer.

6. The entire device must fit within an imaginary box with dimensions of 0.5 m x 1.0 m x 1.0 m.

7. Each device must pass a safety inspection before operation. Faulty wiring, hazardous materials, uncontrolled projectiles, unshielded spills, and commercial batteries will not be allowed and are grounds for disqualification. Matches and candles are the only flammable substances allowed. Nothing solid or liquid is allowed to leave the confines of the device, the exception is for light waves, small amounts of smoke, odors, or gas.

8. Five broad classifications of energy forms will be accepted: chemical, electrical, electromagnetic spectrum (light energy, not an electromagnet), mechanical (including pneumatic and hydraulic pressure), and thermal.

9. Points will be earned when the team correctly documents the manner in which its device changes the form of energy being used from one action to the next; although only for actions which directly contribute toward the final action. Scoring will be based only on the energy transfers that are listed in the Energy Transfer List submitted to the event supervisors prior to the start of the event.

10. The Energy Transfer List provides the sequence of energy transfers to be considered for scoring. This list must be legible and well organized, with one energy transfer per line using the format: initial energy form à action à resulting energy form. An example List follows.

step	initial energy form	action	resulting energy form	transfer
0	kinetic	Falling ping pong ball lands on mouse trap	mechanical	0
1	mechanical	Triggered mouse trap pulls string and releases metal electrode strips into weak acid solution	chemical	C1
2	chemical	battery cell generates current	electrical	E1
3	electrical	current causes light bulb to shine	E&M spectrum	S1
4	E&M spectrum	photons strike photocell, and generate current	electrical	E2
5	electrical	current flowing through thin wire generates heat	thermal	T1
6	thermal	heated wire melts skin of the balloon, bursting it	chemical	C2

9. Points will be awarded as follows:

· 10 points will be awarded for the first six times any form of energy is converted to each of the accepted energy forms (300 points max). For instance, 60 points will be awarded for the first six successful instances of some energy form being converted to chemical energy. Transfers to that energy form after the 6th successful instance will earn no points.

· 300 points will be awarded for successfully bursting the balloon via an acceptable energy transfer within the four-minute time limit.

10. Penalty points will be deducted as follows:

· 10 points off for each inaccurate line in the Energy Transfer List,

· 75 points off for incorrectly formatted, incoherent, or illegible Energy Transfer List,

· 110 points off for parallel or dead-end paths,

· 200 points off for size violation,

· 50 points off for the first time any solid, liquid, or large amount of smoke, odor, or gas leaves the boundary of the device prior to the final action; the second instance disqualifies the device.

11. Ties will be broken according to (1) least number of penalty points, (2) completion time closest to 90.0 seconds, (3) the judges’ subjective assessment of the tower’s aesthetics (construction quality, decoration, etc.). (4) scoring will also be rewarded based on the ingenuity, creativity and the variety of physics principles used to achieve the objective.

12. All contestants will ensure that their entry works through the application of physics principles and generally follows the spirit of the competition.