1MacGyver Windmill Online Challenge Rules

What materials should I use? The MacGyver Windmill Challenge is based off of the MacGyver Windmill kit, although it is not required to have this kit in order to compete! Please note it is not required to build a base for the windmill, you may hold it. Here are some materials that we use often and their allocated cost value, which might come in handy:

• Skewers, $0.25 • String (per 30 cm), $0.50 • Plastic cups, $2.00 • Foam cylinders, $1.00 • T-pins, $0.10 • Straws, $0.50 • PVC pipes, $3.00 • Spools, $1.50 • Corks, $1.50 • Duct tape (per cm), $0.50 • Clear tape (per cm), $0.10 • Washers, free

Of course, you can use that aren't on that list! On the submission form, you will see several fields to upload your own materials along with their estimated material cost. If you are using external materials, we will check your material cost value against our records and other submissions, so be reasonable. You cannot scam our system by using high-quality materials for super cheap! We reserve the right to change your estimated value before we publish your windmill, so your final score may change. If common materials are coming up in a lot of

submissions, we will add it to the permanent list. You can always email us in advance if you’re not sure what’s reasonable.

What are the rules for building and testing my windmill?

Wind Source Power must be generated by wind from a fan or by the ambient wind outside. Our Fan Speed Cheat Sheet will help you estimate wind speed based on what kind of fan you use, or you can use an anemometer (wind meter).

Measurement Units Use metric units when collecting any data. Measure parts and distance in centimeters (cm), wind velocity in meters per second (m/s), and mass in grams (g). There are handy converters on Google.

Windmill SizeThere are no size restrictions for your MacGyver Windmill. Keep in mind that larger windmills may use more or more expensive materials, decreasing your economic efficiency.

Budget There are no budgetary restrictions for the MacGyver Windmill, but keep in mind that more expensive materials will significantly decrease your economic efficiency. Please use materials responsibly.

RULES: MACGYVER WINDMILL CHALLENGE The goal of the MacGyver Windmill Challenge is to build a windmill using “scrap” parts to lift as much weight as you can! Your final score depends not only on how many weights you lift, but also upon your resourceful and economic use of materials. We are looking for efficient windmills which user fewer, cheaper materials and can lift a lot of weight! Entires will be judged based on performance as well as creativity, quality, and demonstrated knowledge.

2 MacGyver Windmill Online Challenge Rules

Pre-Manufactured and 3D Printed Parts Pre-manufactured parts and 3D printed materials are allowed, but again: you’ll be looking at a pretty lousy economic efficiency. Plus, heavy parts and pre-manufactured parts often don’t work well on the MacGyver Windmill.

Safety!First of all, wear goggles! Plexiglas, metal, and other heavy or dangerous blades are highly discouraged as these can be precarious when spinning at high speeds. The team coach must approve the security of any questionable parts before testing. We may disqualify your windmill if it looks dangerous. Send us a photo if you're unsure if your windmill is safe.

What do I need to do in order to compete? Simple. Once you’ve constructed and tested your windmill, you will need to upload your data to our website so we can compare your windmill to your peers’ all over the world. Since we can’t come check on your windmill in person, you need to be honest when collecting and presenting this data! You’ll only be able to upload one trial to the MacGyver Windmill Challenge under your team’s name. So if you do multiple trials, you will want to save your best data and then upload that! We recommend downloading the student data sheet, filling a few out with data from multiple trials, and then uploading your best run at a later time.

About the data upload fields

Team Info Tell us who’s on your team! Input your team’s name, grade level, and the teacher or coach’s name and email. You’ll also be prompted to add a team description, where you should enter a short bio about the team and your windmill. Please do not use full names in the descriptions.

Basic Location Info Fill us in on where you’re from: city, state, and country.

3MacGyver Windmill Online Challenge Rules

Windmill InfoThis section tells us bit more about how you constructed your windmill. Tell us if you used our kit or not, upload a picture of your windmill, an optional video, and tell us about your biggest challenge when building. This qualitative data gives us a bit more of a sense of how you came to your final construction, and will give us feedback on how to consider your score. Please do not include faces in the photos or videos.

Windmill Performance

How did your turbine do? Tell us the wind speed you tested at in meters/second (m/s), the number of washers you lifted and the mass in grams (g) that that equates to.

Windmill Power Calculations This section of the form is optional, although highly recommended for students in older grades who wish to dive in deeper into their calculations. If you tell us the vertical distance your weights moved (the length of the string that wound around the spool) and the time it took to move that distance, we will tell you how much work (in Joules) and the average power (in miliwatts) that your windmill was able to produce. This will not affect your final score, but this addition is likely to earn you extra brownie points in our judging process.

Windmill Cost And now for some data entry! Tell us what materials you used, and how many. Remember, you can use materials which are not already listed, but be reasonable when estimating their cost value, as we will check that carefully. Once all your data is in, the economic efficiency will calculate automatically!

How can I be disqualified? We generally know the efficiency parameters of the MacGyver Windmill. If our judges feel like your data is outside of the normal range, or that you did not follow basic rules, we’ll send you a note to verify if you made a mistake or ask you to send some video to prove your

case. If we feel that the data still cannot be verified, your windmill may stay on the site but will be disqualified from the competition.

How does REcharge Labs evaluate and choose monthly winners?

Your windmill will be compared to the other windmills uploaded that month. We keep our eyes on a few main criteria:

• Efficiency. We are looking for windmills that make good economic use of materials to lift as much weight as possible.

• Creativity. We are looking for innovation in design and use of materials.

• Quality. We are looking for windmills that look like someone put care into building them.

• Hard work. We are looking for windmills that look like you put effort into them, and demonstration that you put effort into learning from this experience.

Once a month we pick one winning team. They will receive a $50 check and a feature in our winners section!