On March 3, 2023, at 13:00 pm, Department of Mechanical Engineering will hold “Catapult Competition” at Khazar University’s Marble Hall. All interested students are invited to participate. If you would like to join the competition, please read the rules and conditions and then send an email to mkiyasatfar@khazar.org for registration.

This activity encourages a quick scientific investigation as students utilize engineering, mechanics, and physics skills to construct a working catapult. When done, they compete to see which team’s catapult can launch a projectile with high accuracy.

Purpose: The objective of this competition is to design and construct a catapult that accurately shoots Ping-Pong balls.

Rules

A team can have up to two (2) members.

• Students will design and build a catapult in advance of the competition.
• All materials are to be provided by students.
• The competitors are to use any inexpensive and readily available materials to build a catapult that launches a 3-star Ping-Pong ball. In other words, no titanium shafts, slingshot devices, rocket launcher, explosives, gases, motors, purchased catapult kits, etc. are to be used. The catapult must be self-sufficient (i.e., no electric motors, human help, compressors, etc.).
• The ping-pong balls used will be of a good quality and will be provided by the judges at the time of the competition. If you prefer, you may bring your own good quality ping pong balls.
• The catapult must sit freely on the ground. It may be attached to a wood or cardboard base plate no more than 15 mm thick. The base plate can have any length and width as long as it fits within the 60cm x 60cm launch site.
• The base plate must sit firmly on the launch site and cannot be used to adjust the height of the catapult. However, the plate can be rotated within the launch site for aiming purposes.
• At some point between the fire ready position and the time of release, the Ping-Pong ball must be within 8 cm of the base plate.
• The catapult must be equipped with a device to lock the launching mechanism in place prior to the launch. The launch must be initiated by a trigger activated by a team member from outside of the launch site. Once the device is in the fire ready position, the device and Ping-Pong ball may not be adjusted or altered other than to initiate the launch. No part of the device other than the trigger may extend outside the launch site before firing of each ball.
• Any device not meeting specifications will be disqualified.

The Competition:

• Catapults must be brought to the competition fully assembled.
• Each team will be given a maximum of 5.0 minutes to set up and shoot 5 Ping-Pong balls. Adjustments to the catapult may be made between shots as along as time allows.
• No practice shots will be allowed.
• There will be 3 circular targets fixed to the floor. The distance for each target is measured from the center of the launch site to the center of a circular target.

a. Target one has an inner diameter of approximately 80 cm and a distance of 2.0 m.

b. Target two has an inner diameter of approximately 80 cm and a distance of 4.0 m.

c. Target three has an inner diameter of approximately 80 cm and a distance of 6.0 m.

• Each target will count for scoring only once; the objective is to land a ball in each target.
• A ball landing anywhere within (not on the rim) each circular target scores 10 points (maximum score is 30 points). A ball which first bounces and then lands within the target does not earn points.
• In the event of a tie breaker the items below will be followed in this order:

a. Score of all 5 balls counting each hit within any target

b. Number of balls that landed in the farthest target

c. Number of balls that landed in the closest target

d. Coin toss

The winners will be awarded prizes and certificates.