I am currently using a computer program in a contest that teaches
students interested in pursuing a career in the field of engineering
the engineering process for a bridge. The program is designed to be a
mock bridge designing program. The bridges are ranked based on the
cheapest
ones that pass a certain load test, two trucks weighing a total of
360kN moving across the bridge with a Dynamic load allowance of 1.33.
The weight of the deck is not included in the total. What bridge
design will support the most possible weight for its cost, assuming
the factors of its price are the sum of four parts: site cost(cost of
excavated site), material cost(cost of necessary building materials,
only six given choices), connection cost(number of joints in the truss
x 2 for two trusses), and product cost(degree of standardization in
parts? Please ask one of your fellow experts if this particular topic
of physics and design does not float your interest boat. Maybe it will
for one of your partners and you will end up with one very happy
customer. Please download the program at http://bridgecontest.usma.edu
There are no viruses the site is that of a university's.
                                                        Sincerely,
                                                        Sean

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Clarification of Question by joeschmoe5-ga on 03 Mar 2003 11:25 PST

At this point in the contest, it is perfectly legal to collaborate
with any person I want. See the website:
http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/rules.htm

Are you sure you can ask for this kind of help
for the project?  West Point has a very restrictive
code of ethics, and you might want to make sure.
Also, just watched Patton again tonight for the
30th time, cannot remember where the statue
of him was up there.  Good luck.

Just to save other researchers the steps, from an ethical standpoint,
it appears that it IS permissible for the competitors to ask for help
at this point in the contest ...


FROM THE OFFICIAL RULES ---- 

5.1 The Qualifying Round will begin at 1:00 p.m. EST on January 11,
2003 and will end at 1:00 p.m. EST on April 10, 2003.

5.5 During the Qualifying Round, there are no restrictions whatsoever
on collaboration. Teams may consult freely with teachers, ASCE
volunteers, parents, or peers about their designs. Collaboration with
others will not be allowed in the Semi-Final and Final Rounds.


HOWEVER ....This brings up an interesting point ... 

5.6 During the Qualifying Round, each team is responsible for the
security of its own design(s). Any contestant who shares his or her
team's design(s) with another person or team does so at his or her own
risk. Any contestant who fails to safeguard his or her team's
design(s) does so at his or her own risk. A contestant who has shared
or failed to safeguard a design loses all claim to "ownership" of that
design or design concept. If a team shares its design and subsequently
fails to qualify for the Semi-Final Round as a result, that team has
no basis for complaint and no claim on a place in the Semi-Final
Round.


Sean, you may want to consider whether or not you want a design posted
here in this public forum. And, please remember, that you are not
permitted to post your email address here or have contact with
researchers outside of the Google Answers forum.

By the way .. the contest looks really neat!

USMA BRIDGE CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES
http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/rules.htm 

-K~

I'd love to answer this question, but I have yet to find any design
even remotely close to being the best one.

In fact, in theory this is the most time I have ever spent on a $10
question, I have spent at least 4 hours messing about with the game :)

Thanks for the link, at the very least...

Regards,
sycophant-ga