Building a better solution for measuring and comparing results for an excellent Science Olympiad event: Bungee Drop
Definition of the Problem: The Science Olympiad event Bungee Drop is excellent in spirit, but difficult to execute in a data-driven way. The essential idea is that a team will drop a weighted bottle a defined distance, attached to an elastic cord of their own design. In this competition, teams that are able to drop the weighted bottle and get closest to a bottom surface without touching the surface will win. The task of determining exactly which team was "closest to a bottom surface without touching" has proven to be quite difficult.
Intended Solution: The motion of a falling object should be something that is easily measurable with an ultrasonic range finder. "The bottom surface" can be liberally interpreted to include a 2-D plane, as defined by a laser level arranged a fixed distance above an ultrasonic range finder. From this set-up, some code in Python and for Arduino could be written to track the motion of the falling object, identify the bottle's minimum distance above "the bottom surface", and visualize/log this data for further review by students or tournament supervisors.
Action Plan Following Completion: Once this project is completed, the results will be tested and explained to the Science Olympiad Bungee Drop national event supervisor for review. Because this project so strongly relies on the ambiguity of "the bottom surface" (inferring it to be allowable as a 2-D plane defined by a laser level) the entire project Will need to be reviewed. If the project results are determined to be appropriate, it will hopefully become the new recommended measurement method for all Bungee Drop competitions. If it is not approved by the national event supervisor, then it will still serve as an invaluable tool for all teams as they practice this event.
Thanks for all the help!