============================================================================ readme.1st ============================================================================ October 7, 1990 Explanatory notes: 1: PINEWOOD.DOC, BETTER.DOC and this README.1ST are ASCII files that can be read by any computer. 2: The program options are: F File saves the race to disk as an ASCII file. This allows editing in a word processor if the round and lane numbers do not line up correctly on the print out. P Printout prints the race on your printer. R Repeat uses the same input to generate a new race. N New race allows a change in input. i.e., change in time, # of scouts, etc. Q Quit 3: We did not use an overhead projector. The winners of each race were circled, by the judges, on copies of the schedule and the tally was kept on stage on a very large piece of paper for all to view. 4: The Webelos placed the cars in their starting position and retrieved them at the finish line. This was time saving as the younger boys are busy enjoying the race. Our mailing address is: I. Peronto 49 Kaatskill Way Ballston Spa, NY 12020 518-583-0669 ============================================================================ pinewood.doc ============================================================================ This archive includes the following ASCII files: README.1ST - important information PINEWOOD.DOC - this file BETTER.DOC - an excerpt from the paper HOW TO RUN A BETTER PINEWOOD DERBY written by Marc P. Borom of Pack 37, Niskayuna, NY. Pack 15 of Saratoga Springs, NY, has been using the "Stearns Method" for several years now and it has been very successful. When we started using the "Stearns Method" we were only utilizing four lanes of our six lane track. This prompted us to write a program that generates racing schedules for any number of lanes with any number of scouts. This same program can be used for the Space Derby, Raingutter Regatta or any other derby your pack uses. Some of the conditions that the program meets are: every car races the same number of times, every car races in each round and every car races in each lane. The program also maximizes the number of opponents that each car races against. In most cases, every car races against every other car. Any cars in the last race of a round will not be in the first race of the next round (to prevent delays). Sample schedules for 2, 4 and 6 lanes follows. On the 6 lane track, some races will have less than 6 cars but no race will have fewer than 4 cars. On the 4 lane track, some races will have less than 4 cars but no race will have fewer than 2 cars. This is to prevent a car from having an unfair advantage, i.e., when there are 43 participants and you are using a six lane track, no car will be in a race with cars 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48. On a two lane track with an odd number of participants we recommend using a dummy car, again, no unfair advantage. The number of races in each round is dependent on the number of scouts in the pack and the number of lanes you are using. The number of rounds is not only dependent on the number of scouts and lanes but also on the amount of time you want the meeting to devote to the actual racing. In our first year of using the "Stearns Method" we were surprised to find that 96 races were run in one hour. We ran 12 rounds of 8 races each. If you are running a slower paced event you can eliminate the last several rounds. On a six lane track, every car races in each lane by the end of the 6th round. On a five lane track every car races in each lane by the end of the 5th round, etc. We have limited the number of scouts to a maximum of 90 and the racing time to no more than 4 hours. If you need to accommodate more scouts or are running a longer event, please let us know and we will modify the program. For Atari ST owners the program can be found in the Atari ST Roundtable, M476. For IBM owners the program can be found in the IBM Roundtable, M616. Escape will exit the program on the ST and Control-Break will exit on the IBM. This will come in handy when you have 48 scouts, are racing for .5 hours, and choose 29 minimum acceptable opponents on a 6 lane track. If you do not Esc or Break, the program will keep trying until it meets the 29 opponents. It is possible to face 30 opponents, (6 races per car X 5 opponents per race), but, because the program is satisfying our other requirements, 30 opponents may not be possible. The program was written on an ST using GFA Basic. IBM conversion was with Microsoft QuickBASIC. Our printer is a Star NL-10, however, the print option should work on any Epson compatible printer. If you use the program and find that you are running a better Derby, please send us your Council Shoulder Patch. Please let us know if you find any bugs or have any suggestions or questions. Our mail address is: I. Peronto 49 Kaatskill Way Ballston Spa, New York 12020 518-583-0669 PINEWOOD DERBY SCHEDULE GENERATED by Pat Peronto using GFA BASIC Total cars=24 Number of lanes=2 Estimated time=1.5 hours Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Lane # Lane # Lane # 1 2 1 2 1 2 Race 1 17 24 10 17 6 3 Race 2 8 19 21 7 15 22 Race 3 6 23 19 5 13 14 Race 4 5 9 14 11 20 2 Race 5 15 21 9 20 16 4 Race 6 11 16 16 18 21 18 Race 7 22 1 2 15 24 9 Race 8 7 2 24 8 8 11 Race 9 3 14 13 22 1 5 Race 10 20 13 1 3 7 19 Race 11 18 10 4 6 12 17 Race 12 12 4 23 12 10 23 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Race 1 22 16 7 17 21 14 Race 2 13 3 16 10 1 20 Race 3 2 11 12 1 4 17 Race 4 8 18 9 3 11 15 Race 5 15 5 13 6 22 6 Race 6 4 1 24 22 24 13 Race 7 6 19 18 2 18 12 Race 8 14 20 11 4 5 10 Race 9 17 9 5 20 2 9 Race 10 12 24 15 14 7 16 Race 11 10 7 21 8 3 19 Race 12 21 23 23 19 23 8 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Race 1 9 18 17 6 2 4 Race 2 17 5 5 21 3 21 Race 3 1 21 19 10 11 23 Race 4 24 2 3 7 10 20 Race 5 22 7 11 12 6 7 Race 6 14 4 18 1 15 12 Race 7 3 11 24 14 8 1 Race 8 13 19 9 22 17 18 Race 9 20 6 4 15 9 14 Race 10 10 12 2 23 22 5 Race 11 23 15 8 20 24 16 Race 12 8 16 13 16 19 13 Round 10 Round 11 Round 12 Race 1 21 16 16 17 12 6 Race 2 9 7 2 8 11 17 Race 3 1 15 4 22 2 10 Race 4 3 2 23 3 24 1 Race 5 10 4 1 7 4 7 Race 6 24 20 12 19 15 8 Race 7 14 23 24 21 5 3 Race 8 5 12 20 15 14 19 Race 9 6 8 14 10 22 23 Race 10 17 22 9 6 20 21 Race 11 19 18 5 11 9 13 Race 12 11 13 18 13 16 18 The following cars have not raced each other: 1>2 6 9 10 11 13 14 16 17 19 23 2>1 5 6 12 13 14 16 17 19 21 22 3>4 8 10 12 15 16 17 18 20 22 24 4>3 5 8 9 13 18 19 20 21 23 24 5>2 4 6 7 8 13 14 16 18 23 24 6>1 2 5 10 11 14 15 16 18 21 24 7>5 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 20 23 24 8>3 4 5 7 9 10 12 13 14 17 22 9>1 4 8 10 11 12 15 16 19 21 23 10>1 3 6 8 9 11 13 15 21 22 24 11>1 6 7 9 10 18 19 20 21 22 24 12>2 3 7 8 9 13 14 16 20 21 22 13>1 2 4 5 7 8 10 12 15 17 21 23 14>1 2 5 6 7 8 12 16 17 18 22 15>3 6 7 9 10 13 16 17 18 19 24 16>1 2 3 5 6 9 12 14 15 19 20 23 17>1 2 3 8 13 14 15 19 20 21 23 18>3 4 5 6 7 11 14 15 20 22 23 24 19>1 2 4 9 11 15 16 17 20 21 22 24 20>3 4 7 11 12 16 17 18 19 22 23 21>2 4 6 9 10 11 12 13 17 19 22 22>2 3 8 10 11 12 14 18 19 20 21 23>1 4 5 7 9 13 16 17 18 20 24 24>3 4 5 6 7 10 11 15 18 19 23 Number of different opponents raced for each car: 1>12 2>12 3>12 4>12 5>12 6>12 7>12 8>12 9>12 10>12 11>12 12>12 13>11 14>12 15>12 16>11 17>12 18>11 19>11 20>12 21>12 22>12 23>12 24>12 PINEWOOD DERBY SCHEDULE GENERATED by Pat Peronto using GFA BASIC Total cars=36 Number of lanes=4 Estimated time=1.5 hours Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Lane # Lane # Lane # 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Race 1 15 4 29 8 8 17 33 3 30 32 1 17 Race 2 33 11 2 32 11 5 15 31 28 16 8 11 Race 3 17 26 35 14 35 28 22 24 6 35 34 27 Race 4 1 7 16 5 23 18 27 1 10 20 31 33 Race 5 22 36 18 34 13 10 14 12 2 23 21 22 Race 6 24 31 12 21 34 2 20 16 18 24 19 15 Race 7 9 27 13 28 26 21 9 30 29 12 36 9 Race 8 3 19 10 23 32 6 4 29 25 3 5 13 Race 9 20 30 25 6 19 25 7 36 4 14 26 7 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Race 1 21 29 23 2 25 22 1 9 30 15 27 3 Race 2 5 22 6 20 8 13 21 20 17 2 10 7 Race 3 27 13 24 19 16 14 3 32 14 36 21 5 Race 4 31 8 11 35 29 35 10 18 25 33 16 4 Race 5 16 34 17 18 24 34 2 15 35 13 1 20 Race 6 14 9 30 10 12 5 33 19 12 8 26 18 Race 7 12 1 3 4 17 27 36 4 29 22 11 19 Race 8 7 15 32 25 31 30 28 7 9 24 6 31 Race 9 36 33 28 26 11 26 23 6 28 32 34 23 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Race 1 6 1 2 8 21 32 10 36 32 8 9 35 Race 2 15 36 13 16 12 6 16 28 31 36 23 4 Race 3 19 21 35 7 27 31 25 2 25 26 15 12 Race 4 31 22 3 26 1 11 14 29 18 6 21 33 Race 5 14 18 33 24 8 34 19 26 2 28 19 14 Race 6 12 20 27 32 24 30 4 20 30 13 34 29 Race 7 34 4 10 11 3 9 18 7 17 24 11 3 Race 8 28 25 29 17 15 23 33 35 16 22 27 10 Race 9 5 9 23 30 5 17 22 13 7 20 1 5 Round 10 Round 11 Round 12 Race 1 25 35 21 3 9 20 19 17 28 15 1 10 Race 2 18 2 4 13 18 28 5 4 2 36 3 20 Race 3 30 36 11 12 15 6 10 36 33 29 24 26 Race 4 9 34 16 29 30 2 35 12 35 4 9 21 Race 5 27 26 6 28 3 13 23 31 5 32 17 6 Race 6 15 14 20 23 24 26 16 32 27 14 31 34 Race 7 8 5 10 24 27 29 7 11 13 11 25 18 Race 8 1 19 31 17 1 33 34 21 16 19 30 22 Race 9 32 22 7 33 22 14 8 25 8 23 7 12 Round 13 Round 14 Round 15 Race 1 3 34 5 29 28 21 16 35 31 16 8 10 Race 2 33 27 9 11 36 1 9 15 5 27 35 21 Race 3 31 32 18 19 17 23 4 12 33 17 1 26 Race 4 14 2 10 25 11 29 31 22 24 36 2 9 Race 5 20 28 22 4 32 10 27 8 32 13 29 20 Race 6 30 8 36 35 26 5 2 20 11 7 18 15 Race 7 21 17 15 12 30 18 33 13 19 4 25 23 Race 8 16 23 24 1 34 7 25 24 30 14 3 28 Race 9 26 13 6 7 6 14 3 19 6 34 12 22 Round 16 Round 17 Round 18 Race 1 19 30 26 10 Race 2 20 18 11 21 Race 3 32 3 36 31 Race 4 9 23 33 1 Race 5 2 7 17 13 Race 6 25 14 5 4 Race 7 16 22 15 8 Race 8 27 28 6 24 Race 9 34 29 12 35 All cars have raced all other cars at least once! PINEWOOD DERBY SCHEDULE GENERATED by Pat Peronto using GFA BASIC Total cars=36 Number of lanes=6 Estimated time=0.75 hours Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Lane # Lane # Lane # 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 Race 1 12 18 15 5 27 25 19 4 3 18 8 5 27 21 2 36 7 34 Race 2 31 10 7 20 13 1 13 36 12 9 25 17 6 24 18 12 10 32 Race 3 33 17 26 30 2 19 26 23 31 21 33 6 25 9 23 35 31 26 Race 4 34 11 22 28 23 8 20 28 27 16 30 24 5 13 11 8 29 16 Race 5 3 32 16 14 6 9 7 29 14 34 1 2 14 22 4 3 20 33 Race 6 29 35 36 24 21 4 11 15 35 10 32 22 1 19 28 15 17 30 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Race 1 35 34 10 13 3 27 4 25 34 6 28 18 36 26 6 17 11 15 Race 2 18 6 20 26 36 11 9 16 17 11 19 35 28 31 24 19 5 29 Race 3 17 12 19 29 4 23 10 14 30 23 15 36 22 3 32 7 14 10 Race 4 32 1 8 25 16 21 8 20 21 1 12 31 21 27 9 33 18 12 Race 5 30 7 5 22 9 28 24 5 29 27 26 3 23 30 25 4 34 13 Race 6 15 2 33 31 24 14 2 33 13 32 22 7 16 8 1 2 35 20 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Race 1 11 3 30 31 12 21 33 16 34 15 31 18 27 31 32 36 19 4 Race 2 15 29 18 13 14 25 10 25 19 21 17 7 20 25 11 33 35 30 Race 3 28 32 26 10 4 16 9 20 29 32 30 23 21 5 14 28 13 17 Race 4 34 20 19 17 27 22 2 11 4 1 27 14 2 10 9 3 15 8 Race 5 33 1 36 8 9 24 12 35 28 22 36 3 26 22 1 6 29 18 Race 6 6 2 5 35 23 7 24 13 6 8 26 5 23 24 16 7 12 34 Round 10 Round 11 Round 12 Race 1 21 27 8 14 19 35 35 29 25 2 28 33 23 32 5 1 34 26 Race 2 4 15 7 11 26 12 24 11 3 1 23 27 7 18 35 14 29 4 Race 3 20 5 33 10 29 34 6 19 13 14 12 26 27 6 8 16 9 17 Race 4 30 18 2 28 23 6 30 8 7 17 18 32 30 21 11 2 12 15 Race 5 25 3 22 24 17 31 4 9 34 5 36 31 3 24 22 10 13 36 Race 6 16 36 13 1 9 32 20 15 21 22 16 10 19 33 28 25 20 31 All cars have raced all other cars at least once! ============================================================================ better.doc ============================================================================ HOW TO RUN A BETTER PINEWOOD DERBY One of the highlights of any cubbing year is the Pinewood Derby. Excitement runs high and the competition is keen. A perennial problem is how to maximize participation on the night of the race and ensure ultimate fairness in the final outcome. Pack 37 of Niskayuna, N.Y. conducted a Pinewood Derby this year unlike any I have ever attended and with such success that we feel compelled to share the technique with others. In my eight years of cubbing with my four sons, I have been involved in many father-son Pinewood races. Every race was conducted on a tennis ladder type elimination with a second ladder set up for the losers of the first heat. In such a system, one half the contestants are eliminated by the second heat. Interest in the race drops and discipline becomes a problem. When a four lane track is fully used, the early loss of contestants is even higher. There had to be a better way. Pack 37 was fortunate to have Dr. Dick Stearns as a participating member. Dr. Stearns is a mathematician and a world authority on game theory. As pack master, I presented him with the challenge of designing a race schedule for a four lane track that will maximize participation, assure that all cars will race on each lane and race against as many other cars as possible. His solution, he claims, was simple. I still believe what he did was impossible, but the results are fantastic. Consider a field of 20 to 30 cars. With Stearns method, which we'll consider in more detail later, each car races against 21 other cars and never against the same car twice; each car races on every lane and never on the same lane more than twice; every car races seven times; and the winner is not determined until the last race. Table 1 compares the Stearns method against the usual two lane tennis ladder. In the tennis ladder where each heat is settled on a best-two-out-of-three basis, the two finalists see a lot of action but unfortunately only 5 opponents and half the cars make only 4 to 6 runs down the track and meet only two opponents. The Stearns method is a winner from the standpoint of both continuous participation and maximum exposure. In Tables II, III and IV are the schedules for Pinewood racer fields of 24, 28 and 32 cars respectively. Each schedule is divided into 7 rounds with each round consisting of from 6 to 8 races. The cars participating in each race are designated by number and are assigned to a specific track for each race. The schedules in the form of Tables II through IV are required to determine at a glance the participants in any given race as the competition proceeds. The schedules are presented in a second form in Tables V through VII which allows the contestants to locate their race number for each round and also serves as a running tally sheet for determining the winners. With Tables II through VII in hand, you are ready to consider the details of conducting the race. The three different schedules were necessary since we were uncertain of the number of participants which could have varied from 21 to 32. Each schedule is adjusted so that the three highest number cars never race one another and races, therefore, will never involve less than three contestants. On race night, each car is weighed and adjusted to within the maximum weight limit. After the car is accepted by weight and by whatever other standards were agreed to in advance (ensure familiarity early), both the cub and the car are assigned their identification number. A sticker bearing the identification number is attached to the car. The cub's name is entered legibly and in numerical order on a transparency of the contestants sign- up list. The sign-up list is cut from a transparency of Table VII. The cubs then place their cars on the display table with numbered slots which aids in the judging for design awards. The race starter is supplied with a copy of either Table II, III or IV depending on the final number of participants. A transparency of the appropriate Table II, III or IV is also displayed on one overhead projector or copies are provided to the audience. The complete cub contestant sign-up transparency is attached to a transparency of the body of the appropriate Table V, VI or VII respectively as determined by the number of contestants which is displayed on the second overhead projector. A person is assigned to mark the winners of each race on the overhead projector by circling the winner's race number associated with that round and to enter a mark for each win at the far right of the table. Everyone is then able to follow the progress of the race by contestant. During the course of each Pinewood Derby race, four cubs are at the finish line waiting to retrieve their cars while four cubs are directed to be on deck with their cars ready to go in the next race and four more are anticipating being called on deck. Out of a field of 28 cars, which is almost 40% active involvement all during the Pinewood Derby, discipline is no problem. A little planning in placing the track (center stage is best) with occasional vigil in keeping the spectators a reasonable distance from the track makes for enjoyable viewing by all. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners are determined by the total number of races won. In the case of a tie, a one on one race can be conducted. An example or race results are shown in Table VIII. There was a three way tie for third place which resolved by an additional sudden death race. On paper, the race procedure sounds a little complicated, but in practice it works quite smoothly and I highly recommend it to other packs. By: Marc P. Borom TABLE I Two track tennis ladder 32 entries drivers runs opponents 16 4 - 6 2 8 6 - 9 3 4 8 - 12 4 2 10 - 15 5 Stearns method 32 entries drivers runs opponents 32 7 21 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED registration weigher logger stickerer pit stop driller parts & weights race starter finish judge finish judge logger clipboard view graph Trophies - 1, 2, 3, best in show The materials needed to run a Stearns Method Pinewood Derby are: a. transparency of contestant sign up list b. transparencies of tables II through VII c. pens for marking on transparencies d. two overhead projectors e. two screens f. one four lane track g. scale, for checking maximum car weight h. registration table i. numbered stickers for each car j. numbered tags for each cub to wear corresponding to his assigned car number k. electric drill and lead weights for last minute weight adjustments l. spare parts for pit stops m. display table for all cars with display slots indicated by number on a long paper roll on table top n. portable PA system o. clip boards ============================================================================ menu.txt ============================================================================ PINEWOOD DERBY MENU OPTIONS 컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� 1 - Print documentation 1, to printer 2 - Print documentation 2, to printer 3 - View documentation 1, on screen 4 - View documentation 2, on screen 5 - Run Pinewood Derby Program 6 - Exit menu ENTER THE NUMBER OF YOUR CHOICE AND HIT KEY ==> ============================================================================ start.bat ============================================================================ echo off cls type menu.txt