News and Updates

TIAB, Star Color?, Constellations?

Q1:  I’m trying to figure out if there is a standard chart that will be used when asking the kids about star type temp/color, as there seems to be some variation from chart to chart on the internet.  Do you have a recommendation?
A1 : I think I answered this question already – there is no standard, and no question will be asked that depends on any subtlety of color or temperature.
Q2:  During the planetarium portion of the test, will the constellations have lines or will they be expected to recognize without the lines indicating the shape?
A2 : No lines will be incorporated.

Planetarium for TIAB

Question: I am wondering when the workshops for the kids for Infinity and Beyond will be held?? At what point will we know if the planetarium will be available on the day of competition? This may be an obvious question but, for the planetarium portion of the exam, will the lines be present or will they need to recognize the constellations without the lines/shapes. Thank you!

Answers: As soon as we know the answers to these questions, we will let everyone know. There will not be lines connecting the constellations.

Pasta Bridges

Q1:  How much, if any, clay may be used to give height to the bridge in order for it to meet the 2.5 cm height requirement?

A1: Clay cannot be used to give height to the bridge, it can only be used to join pasta together or attach to the surface of the platform.  It can also be used to stabilize the cup.

Q2:  Suppose the pasta bridge is loaded from the highest point and we keep loading with pennies. Then the top span collapses and the cup with the pennies doesn’t fall but rests on the lowermost level – is that still valid? Can we keep loading it till this lower most span collapses too?
A2:  Loading will continue until the cup hits the table, falls over, or rests on the platform or its supports in such a way that it is no longer being supported by pasta.

Zip- a-dee-do-dah

Q:  I’m new to the science olympiad and am wondering about ideas to make the zip line for practice during team meetings. Any ideas? Or do we not need to make the zip line?

A:  A very simple zip line set up should be sufficient for practice. When we were designing the event, we tied the fishing wire to a lamp and a chair. We’ll also have open practice sessions where teams can sign up for time slots and use the actual zip line rig we’ll use for the competition.

In Bloom

Q.
In the In Bloom event description, “Monocots, eudicots (dicots), and flowering plants that are neither monocots nor eudicots, such as Magnoliids and Nymphaeales” are listed under the “Topics Removed” heading. However, at the Matthaei workshop, a significant amount of time was devoted to monocots vs. dicots. Could you please clarify if it will, in fact, be included, and to what extent? Thank you.
 
A.
This topic will not be included on the In Bloom event test this year.  Students will not be asked to distinguish these groups of plants and there will not be any questions about the differences between these groups.  Students should understand that all of these plants (monocots and dicots) are angiosperms, and they should be familiar with the diversity of angiosperms (for example, they should recognize that magnolias, water lilies, palm trees, grasses, lilies, rose bushes, oak trees, bean plants, and sunflowers are all angiosperms).  Focus on the things that monocots and dicots have in common; for example, students should be able to identify petals, stamens, and pistils, whether they are presented with a monocot flower or a dicot flower.