Q1: Can students modify the harness (specifically, twisting the hooks to slow the harness)?
A1: The Zip harness should not be modified in any way. This includes twisting the hooks or adding any additional material to the harness. This year, hooks are glued in place with a tiny amount of epoxy. Teams observed to be manipulating the harness will be disqualified.
Q2: Does the cargo need to hang from the hook or can it be placed over the harness or attached in another way?
A2: The cargo must hang from the hook.
Q3: Can you tape or secure the ping pong ball in the cargo load?
A3: No, the ping pong ball represents free cargo (or even a passenger!). It may not be taped or glued into place.
Q4: How many decimal places will the target time be given in? How many decimal places will the students work with?
A4: The photogates we use to time cable car runs measure down to ten thousandths of a second (0.0001 seconds). We will give the target times with four decimal places. Students often have trouble with decimals when the number of significant digits doesn’t match (e.g. Which is larger, 3.30 or 3.2587?). Luckily, in keeping the number of significant digits consistent, this has not been an issue in Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah in the past, even with the younger students that have not worked with long decimals in the classroom.
