Paper Ball Run Challenge
Celebrate National Engineers Week with Paul V. Galvin Library! Come participate in our Paper Ball Run Challenge on February 18 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. on the second floor of Galvin Library. Snacks will be provided, and prizes will also be provided to the winning team.
Challenge: Your task is to build a ball run out of paper and tape. The goal is to make your ball move as slowly as possible through the ball run. Work in a team of two to four people.
Materials provided for each team: 15 sheets of paper, scissors, and one roll of tape.
Rules:
- Your run must stand on a flat horizontal surface like the floor or a table/piece of cardboard. It can be taped to this surface, but cannot be taped to or supported by anything else.
- The run must have both an entry and exit point for the ball.
- The entry point is where the ball is placed into the run. It must be at least 10 inches above the supporting surface.
- The exit point is where the ball exits the run. It must be at least one inch above the surface.
- The ball cannot be modified in any way or have anything attached to it.
- The ball must be gently placed into the run to start.
- Time starts when the ball is placed in the run and ends when the ball exits the run.
- After the ball has entered the run, you cannot touch the ball or the run or influence its motion in any way.
- If the ball gets stuck in the run, you must remove the ball and start over. A ball is considered stuck if it does not move for more than 10 seconds.
- You are only allowed to use the provided materials.
- Team competition: work in a team of two to five people.
Time will be measured by a Galvin Library representative and a winner determined. The ball that takes the longest amount of time to get through the run wins! Only the first place team members win a prize.
In case of a tie, tied teams will do the ball run again and this time the timer keeps running after the ball exits the run. As long as the ball keeps moving across the table and/or the floor without assistance, the timer keeps running. The team with the longest time wins.
This event is organized by Galvin Library, Armour College of Engineering, and the Office of Student Life.