This is actually a two-part challange. The teams have to create a device to lift itself or an equal weight--their choice--off the ground. Could be an elevator-type thing (only posts or beams can touch the ground) or a front-end loader or crane or ???

The second part comes in when their device then has to lift itself AND the other team's device (or equal weight) off the ground. This forces a bit of stratigizing. On the one hand, you might want to add weight to make it harder for the other team, but that means your device has to be able to lift more. On the other hand, if you make it light so you can easily lift yourself, it might not be powerful enough to lift the combo since you don't know if the other team was able to add weight because they created something very powerful.

-- Dave Drews (dave@thomascreek.com), March 27, 2001

Answers

So whoever builds a device that will raise the combined weights of both machines at once wins, right? Take a winch (as opposed to a wench) off the front of a junked Land Rover, run the cable through some pulleys and we could move the whole show to America! (Of course, it would never be the same.)

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), March 27, 2001.