Irrigate The Desert Challenge

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Junkyard Wars : One Thread

Irrigating the Desert Challenge

The challenge would be to move (pump) water uphill from a stream (say for a distance of 50 m) without the aid of an engine, but they are allowed to use the human power of one individual. The group that can transfer the most water in 15 minutes wins. Some groups may want to build a wind-driven pump, others an aquaduct system, the possibilities could make for an interesting show.

-- Paul Martel (martel@telusplanet.net), January 28, 2001

Answers

Watching paint dry would be more exciting.

Next time suggest a challenge with a bit of action to it.

(To reply in email replace blort dot invalid with anime dot net)

-- Dan Hollis (goemon@blort.invalid), January 28, 2001.


I like a variation on this: Pumper trucks! You set up two portable plastic swimming pools set up a few hundred meters from a creek. (not the kiddy pools - the big whomping above-ground pools.)

The challenge: build a truck to transport water from the creek to the pools. The most water in 30 minutes wins. Realistically, the truck can't make more than 10 trips before it would get boring (or the truck would fall apart). Assuming a max load of 1 ton of water before the truck breaks yields only one cubic meter of water per trip (260 gallons). Each trips fills a 3' x 20'diam pool only 1.4 inches.

Hmmm... I figure 3 trips before the truck breaks and maybe 10 if you're lucky. It would be hard to figure out who won - maybe a big livestock tank (3' x 8' diam) is more reasonable.

I don't know. I think this one is doable and would look reasonably cool. No fire hoses allowed - you have to drive the water to the tank.

-TL

-- TL (tl@gte.net), January 30, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ