Hovercraft

Division: Div C – High School

NC Essential Standards Alignment: Science as Inquiry, 7.P.2, PSc.1.1., Phy.1.1, Phy.1.2

Event Rules: See the National Rules Manual

National Event Page: Here

Clarifications: This event will only run at the State Tournament for teams that qualify.

Rule 3.g. For timing and measurement purposes, the vehicle must have a 3/8” or larger wooden dowel vertically attached within 3.0 cm of its front edge so that the top end is at least 20.0 cm above the track’s surface when levitated. The dowel must be placed on the hovercraft so that it will be the first part of the vehicle to break a laser timing beam when the vehicle is traveling forward.

Description:

Prior to the competition, participants will design, construct, and calibrate a self-propelled air-levitated vehicle that moves down a track. 

Materials:

Each team must impound only one vehicle and any papers/notes needed during the competition time. The vehicle must be impounded with the batteries stored separately and presented to the Event Supervisor for inspection. No additional papers/notes may be brought into the competition area after impound.
Teams may bring tools, supplies, spare parts, eye protection, and two Class III calculators. These items need not be impounded.
Participants must wear eye protection during vehicle setup and operation. Teams without proper eye protection must be immediately informed and given a chance to obtain eye protection if time allows.
The Event Supervisor will provide the testing materials listed in the TRACK section. Teams should not bring their own track or ramp.
Participants must be able to answer questions regarding the design, construction, and operation of the vehicle per the Building Policy found on www.soinc.org.

Scoring:

High score wins. Ties are broken first by best Time Score for the first complete run, second by the fewest Construction Violations, third by best Bonus Score, and finally by second Best Run Score. 

Final Score (FS) = Best Run Score + BS (if any)

Common Mistakes:

Many teams get caught up in the excitement of competition and forget to notify event leaders before one or more of their runs. This is a penalty easily avoided!