A couple ideas:

1) Make some sort of FREE-STANDING (critical) apple juice press. So the teams need to make some sort of crusher that is leak proof to make juice. Provide a standard filter that the juice must pass through, to ensure that measurement by weight isn't tainted by pulp. Challenge to see who can make the most juice in say 1/2 hour. Getting a good efficient press is difficult if you can't brace it to a roof somehow. (Odd but could be good)

2) Variation of the above. Build a compactor that must crush a washing machine (or something) in some timed period. The winning team is the one that crushes it the smallest by volume... (water displacement would be easiest for this measurement)

3) They must make an electric generator, team that produces the highest current wins?

-- Paul Janke (jankep@home.com), January 11, 2001

Answers

Like the applejuice idea... only. Would you want to drink something that was made with stuff that has been laying a junkyard for several years?

-- Brian Straight (Writer4747@aol.com), January 11, 2001.