Exercise 1
Due Tuesday April 14, 2009
Pencil Transporter Gizmo
After several years at home, you have received an urgent message from
the land of Omicrons. Their universe has been beset by
natural disasters. The rivers have flooded their banks eroding the
cliffs and flattening the landscape. Their previously abundant natural
resources have become scarce (although they still use #2 pencils as
their primary building material). They have sent for you because they
were pleased with the Gizmo that you built for them before, but it no
longer works because the main river is two feet wide now. While you were
in Omicron, you became quite fond of the inhabitants and you would like
to help them out (and the reward was nice too). So, you have agreed to
return and build them a new Gizmo.
After landing, you realized that you left that handy roll of tape at
home, so all you have to build with is string and cardboard. The
Omicrons have graciously allowed you to use some of their pencils as
building material for the gizmo. However, they are running short of
cardboard and they only have 1 sq ft to give you.
The new Gizmo must span a two foot river and keep the pencils 6 inches
above the river. (The strength of the hydrochloric acid in the rivers
has increased). Because of all the disasters, the Omicrons have become
weak, so they need a Gizmo that lets them load and unload the pencils
at ground level.
By Tuesday, you need to bring them your Gizmo and demonstrate that it
can transport at least one pencil across the river.
Rules: You will load the pencil into your Gizmo just before you
demonstrate your Gizmo (i.e. it can't be built into the Gizmo). The
only power you have is one rubber band.
All the old rules still apply.
Disincentives
If your Gizmo does not
- transport a pencil across a two foot river
- keep them 6" above the river
- load and unload pencils from ground level
you will be doomed to remain forever in the Omicron universe. (Why did
you go back?)
Rewards:
Gold = (500/n)^1.5 + (20-s)
where n = square inches of cardboard, s = inches of string
Bonuses:
- transports multiple pencils at a time = 0.2 pieces of gold per pencil
- esthetically pleasing = 0 to 5 pieces of gold at the discretion of
the Omicron Queen
| 
