Sumo Bots - B Division Only (4/11/08): State Tournament Only: This is a copy of a clarification originally posted on September 18. At this point, only 12 of the 38 teams competing at New Paltz have emailed me their frequencies. If your team has not done so, please send them to me ASAP, as that will make impound go much faster. To help insure that impound can be completed on the morning of the competition, teams are required to email the State Event Supervisor with the frequencies their bot can operate on prior to the State Competition. These emails should be sent to jboyd@newyorkscioly.org, they must arrive by 4/11/09, and they should contain the following information: name of school, team number, three frequencies (in one of the two standard formats) that the bot can operate on.

Wright Stuff - B Division (4/1/09): The height of Elting Gymnasium is 27 feet.

Reach for the Stars - B Division (4/1/09): We will be using a portable StarLab planetarium for Part I of the state competition. Participants are reminded to bring a clipboard and red-filtered flashlight. A simple red-filtered flashlight can be constructed by attaching a piece of red cellophane to a flashlight with a rubber band.

Road Scholar - B Division (3/24/09): B teams do not have to bring any AAA Road maps with them. All road and topographic maps for Road Scholar will be provided by the Event Supervisor.

Road Scholar - B Division (3/23/09): State Competition - the AAA map that you will need is the Utah/Nevada map.

Compute This - B Division (3/17/09): The State Competition will use Windows computers and Microsoft Office 2007.

Scrambler - B Division (3/11/09): Question: Can my team secure the egg to two horizontal dowels that project perpendicular from our backstop, as long as the backstop meets the minimum measurement requirements as stated in rule 3.c.? Answer: Rule 3.c. states, “The egg transport must have a rigidly attached egg mount with a rigid and unpadded flat surface at least 5.0 cm x 5.0 cm and be no less than 1.25 cm thick.” This refers to the horizontal structure onto which the egg will be mounted, not a backstop. Dowels would not be permitted as they do not provide for a flat surface. Also, the space between the two dowels would violate the thickness requirement. This would also apply to a hole or cradle cut into the egg mount. This year’s rules neither require nor prohibit a backstop; however, rule 3.d. requires that both ends of the egg be exposed to the view of the judge(s).

Junkyard Challenge - C Division (3/3/09): The challenge being used for the State Competition at West Point is the Coin Sorter Challenge.

It's About Time - C Division (2/28/09): Question: I wanted to ask if we can use gears that were designed for a clock but where never used in a clock. For example, if I were to use gears that I purchased from a clock maker, and then assembled the inner-working of our Science Olympiad time piece myself, would that be acceptable? Another example would be using the gears in a Lego construction set which is designed to create a clock. Or, perhaps the gears in a Lego set that is designed to make a car. Would both of these examples also be alright? Answer: Under 2d Construction Guidelines, part b says "Commercial counters, timepieces or parts of either are not allowed". That would not allow you to purchase clock parts.

The second part would be admissable. Although designed to be like clock parts, Lego gears are not parts of timepieces.

Solar Power - C Division (2/28/09): Question: What does it mean specifically that the solar collector can't have a cover? Is it ok if our device has a lens that goes over the top of our device (and remains within the "cube" specified by the rules)? Answer: There can be no kind of cover. and you cannot use a lens anywhere in the device. With a lens and only 100ml of water and 10 minutes it is possible that the water could boil.

Junkyard Challenge - C Division (2/23/09): Teams must bring a card table to the competition at West Point.

Solar Power - C Division (2/11/09): Covers are not allowed on the beaker or on the solar collector.

Herpetology / Amphibian and Reptiles - B & C Division (2/9/09): Any notes and pictures must be secured (with tape, glue or staples) in the field guide.

Solar Power - C Division (2/2/09): Clarification of the term “lamp”. The items below represent the type of lamps used in this event to simulate solar energy. Those pictured are frequently already found in Earth Science Classrooms. However, an inexpensive version can be found in Home Depot for $7.47. It is found in the lighting section and is referred to as a clamp lamp. It comes with a 8.5 inch reflector.

Herpetology / Amphibian and Reptiles - B & C Division (2/2/09): As stated by the official rule book: Teams may bring one (1) published field guide and one unaltered Official National List of Amphibians and Reptiles. Teams may write in their field guides, add Post-Its and tab pages. At the national tournament teams will be allowed to use both eastern and western field guides. No other resources, electronic devices or printed labels will be allowed.

For New York: Student generated binders will not be allowed. The official field guide is:  A Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America, by Roger Conant and Joseph T. Collins. (1998) but any other published guide like Audubon may be used. Post-Its added to the field guide should be no larger than the field guide itself and contained within the field guide. Tabs should extend out of the field guide about 2 cms. There are 4 reptiles not listed in the Petersons' guide. They are Dipsosaurus (desert iguana), Sauromalus (chuckwalla), Helodermatidae (Gila monster) and Boidae (boas). Notes would be appropriate for those animals. ALL the questions on the Regional and State test come directly from information found in Petersons.

Solar Power - C Division (1/16/09): Question: Will the 150 W Clear bulb will be in a bare socket or will it be inside an aluminium dome? Answer: The lamp the State Event Supervisor in planning to use is the one that is used in Earth Science Classes for this lab. It has a reflector. It is suggested that Regional Event Supervisors use the same setup so that the competitions at the Regional levels and the State level are held under similar circumstances.

Sumo Bots - B & C Division (1/13/09): Question: Under Competition, 14 in the rules it states "If a robot is damaged during competition, the students may make repairs to the bot after the match." Damage is defined as "physical harm caused to something in such a way as to impair...its normal function," or cause "detrimental effects." Therefore I would like to clarify that students will be allowed to decide to make repairs to their bot if it ceases to function normally due to some event which occurred during the match. Also, if students are making repairs and are called for a match and have not completed their repairs, does the 1.5 minute rule apply? Answer: If a team indicates to either a judge or the event supervisor that their bot needs to be repaired after a match, they will be allowed to do so. Judges and event supervisors will not be asked to make a determination on whether a repair is needed - we will take a team's word for it. Teams that need time between bouts to repair their bots will still be subject to the time restrictions laid out in the rules. Once they are called to compete they will have 1.5 minutes (2 minutes if they are required to change their bot's frequency) after they retrieve their bot to be ready to compete. If they have not finished repairs when called to compete and cannot complete the repairs in the next 1.5 minutes (2 minutes if crystal changes are necessary), they will forfeit that match. Time between bouts will be longer at the beginning of the hour, when more teams are competing and there are more bouts per round. As the hour progresses and the number of remaining teams decreases, the length of each round will diminish and repair time between bouts will also diminish.

Sumo Bots - B & C Division (1/8/09): Question: In construction rule 1 it states that no commercial robots may be used. My students have found a neat robot kit - that they would then modify the wheels and body on - that they would like to use. It is pretty pricey so I wanted to check and make sure that a kit they would have to design and modify would be ok to use. Answer: The first line that you quoted was placed in the rules to avoid students purchasing robots specifically made for this type of competition (there are robot clubs out there that run Sumo Bots events). The rest of that section states:

"Remote control cars may be used if the car is modified and fills the requirements above. Modified means something that has been altered on the car. For example, different body, wheels, or additions like scoops, arms, or any other offensive or defensive devices."

So long as the students are making modifications to the robot they purchase, it will be legal.

Solar Power - C Division (12/20/08): This clarification replaces the previous clarification for Solar Power posted on 11/8/08. The rules for Solar Power have been changed - please download the new rules from here (you have the new rules if the copyright date at the bottom of the page is 1/3/09). It is especially important that you note the change in the scoring formula. The new scoring formula is:

where the Baseline Increase is the greatest degree of temperature change achieved by any device at the Competition.

Car of Tomorrow - B Division (12/11/08): Question: In rules, contestants can use up to two propellers. Can they be powered by TWO DC motors or have to be connected by gears and powered by only one DC motor? Answer: Each propeller may be powered by its own motor. If more than one motor is used, both motors must meet the specs (between three and twelve volts), and each motor may be powered by its own 9 volt battery (this would meet the spec stating that up to two 9 volt batteries may be used, provided they are used in parallel and not in series. If each battery is powering an independent motor, then the batteries are in parallel).

Junkyard Challenge - C Division (11/24/08): Question: In the Tipping the Scale rules Section 7 Part f, it specifies that "Tables, graphs, and calculators may be used to interpret the AD's mass reading." Is this an exclusive list? Could a timer be used to interpret the reading? Answer: Only those items listed in the rules may be used. In addition, under the Junkyard Challenge general rules Part 5 section e the last sentence reads “Teams may not use timing devices to measure the performance of their device while it is being demonstrated.” This precludes the use of any timing device (for example, a pendulum would not be allowed).

Elevated Bridge - B & C Division (11/6/08): The rules for Elevated Bridge state that the surface used for testing the bridge must be smooth and hard. Questions have arisen as to what is meant by smooth. We have devised the following test for smoothness: if you drag a cotton ball across the surface and no visible pieces of cotton are left behind, the surface is smooth. Any material that satisfies this test (including wood) may be used for the surface of the testing device.

Sumo Bots - B & C Division (11/5/08): Question: Regarding "Scoring" item 3: if I lift my opponent up and the opponent's mechanism (not me) causes their bot to fall to the floor and so damage itself, is that counted as "deliberately attempts to do physical damage to an opponent's bot" and so I'll be disqualified? Or is lifting simply not allowed? Answer: Lifting your opponent is not prohibited by the rules. Having said that, teams should use common sense when they apply this strategy. The idea behind lifting an opponent is to lift the drive wheels off the surface, making it impossible for your opponent to counter-act your pushing him/her out of the ring. This strategy simply requires that you lift your opponent high enough so that the drive wheels no longer make contact with the surface - any vehicle lifted this high (and only this high) should survive a fall back to the surface, since they will not be that high off the surface to begin with. If a team goes beyond this height, lifting their opponent to such a height that falling back to the surface will cause damage to their bot, then the event supervisor should rule that they deliberately caused damage to their opponent's bot and they should be disqualified. It is the judges determination as to whether a team continued to lift their opponent beyond the height necessary to prevent the drive wheels from functioning.

Scrambler - B Division (11/5/08): The rules this year state that no tape may be placed on the front or rear 2.0 cm of the egg. Large eggs vary in length from 5.5 to 6.5 cm. Standard width masking tape may not leave both the front 2.0cm and the rear 2.0cm of the egg free of tape. We recommend that event supervisors provide a narrow masking tape in addition to the standard width to avoid this problem. Teams may also want to consider bringing their own narrow tape to the competition in case they have a problem with the size of the egg they are given.

Amphibians & Reptiles/Herpetology (10/28/08): A Field Guide (Section 2) is defined for Science Olympiad purposes as "A published manual (any size) which identifies objects in a class, usually natural things, for carrying in the field or classroom."

Egg-O-Naut - C Division (10/27/08): A "free-fall recovery system" is any system that "recovers" an object from a free-fall state without violating section 2.g. Such objects as rubber-bands (springs, winders, batteries, magnets, etc.) may be used, but they must be in a zero energy state (unstretched) at the start-see 2.g.

Road Scholar - B Division (10/14/08): Regional Competition - the AAA map that you will need is the North and South Dakota map (both states are contained in 1 map). The State Competition map will be announced here after the Regional Competitions are completed.

Sumo Bots - B & C Division (10/3/08): Question: Are DSM radios & receivers ( 2.4GHz ) which bind the transmitter to the receiver ( thus eliminating interference ) allowed in the Sumo Bots competition? Answer: The National Science Olympiad Board of Directors has expanded the allowed frequencies for robots this year to include 2.4 GHz (including Bluetooth). Sumo Bots is a trial event, and as such will conform to the frequencies designated by the National Board of Directors. Therefore, 2.4 GHz radios and receivers will be permitted this year. Competitors are reminded that while a transmitter in the 2.4 GHz range will seek out an unused channel and lock onto it (thus eliminating the need for additional crystals), the 2.4 GHz frequency is not infinite. DSSS and DSM radios and receivers are limited to 80 channels in the 2.4 GHz range, and there are many other devices that could be vying for those frequencies (Bluetooth enabled cell phones, bluetooth enabled computers, wireless computer networks) and that if no channel is available when you turn on your transmitter, it simply won't transmit until a channel becomes available. See http://www.newyorkscioly.org/SOPages/SumoFrequencies.html for more information.

Egg-O-Naut - C Division (10/2/08): Question: Are parachutes allowed in the nose-cone to increase time in the air and safety of the egg? Answer: Yes

Robo Cross - B Division (9/20/08): This year's rules state that students will design and build a robot for the event. No mention is made of using kits or modifying robots that students may purchase. Our interpretation of that rule (pending a clarification on the National web site) is as follows: students may not simply purchase a robot and use it out of the box, even if they make modifications to the robot. They must add parts that they can control to the robot (if they start with a robot they purchased). Specifically, that means that adding parts to the tread to give the tread more traction is not a significant enough change. The following are our interpretations of the "design and build" rule:

1. Students start with a pre-built robot and then build additional parts onto the robot (that they control) to complete the task (for example, they may build an arm onto to robot to collect the items. Adding a plow to the front of the robot will not be considered building the robot).
2. Students may design a robot to complete the task and then purchase the parts from a vendor such as VEX. This meets the "design and build" component as they decide what parts they need, then put them together to create their robot.
3. Students may scavenge parts from various sources (for example, using the motors from electric screwdrivers) and create their own, homemade robot.

Sumo Bots - B Division Only (9/18/08): State Tournament Only: To help insure that impound can be completed on the morning of the competition, teams are required to email the State Event Supervisor with the frequencies their bot can operate on prior to the State Competition. These emails should be sent to jboyd@newyorkscioly.org, they must arrive by 4/11/09, and they should contain the following information: name of school, team number, three frequencies (in one of the two standard formats) that the bot can operate on.

Sumo Bots - B & C Division (8/27/08): Please remember that the object of the competition is to force your opponent out of the ring - NOT to avoid being pushed out yourself. As a clarification, please view the three diagrams below:

Sumo Bots - B & C Division (8/27/08): The areas of competition (rings) used at the State Competition at West Point and New Paltz will be 4' by 4' pieces of 3/4 inch cabinet grade plywood. The surface that the bots will run on will receive a coat of water based polyurethane finish, and the gym floor around the perimeter of the rings will be covered with the vinyl runners used as the ring surface last year (to protect the gym floor and avoid a change in surface friction when a bot is partly on the ring and partly off)

Sumo Bots - B & C Division/Car of Tomorrow - B Division (8/27/08): Students are strongly urged to impound extra batteries for their bot/vehicle. Only batteries that have been impounded will be allowed during competition - students MAY NOT obtain a different battery from any place other than the impound area. There will be NO facilities at the State competition for recharging batteries.

Sumo Bots - B & C Division (8/27/08): If you have questions about the requirement that your bot can be operated on three different frequencies, please click here for a more detailed explanation.

The box/container holding the bot that the students bring to impound for the competition should include the following information: School Name and Team Number, along with the frequencies the bot can operate under.

Competition is a double-elimination tournament. Click here for a sample double elimination grid for 9 teams.

State Tournament Schedule: Teams will be scheduled to compete in groups of 9 every hour. At 3:00 PM, the top two teams from each hour will meet to determine the top 12 places.

© New York State Science Olympiad (www.newyorkscioly.org)