Quote:
Originally Posted by JesseK
We did not score the totes on the bottom, and in reality the 4 points did not change the outcome of the match or the event for the teams. The rationale used for not scoring them was a free-body diagram performed on the bottom two totes given some of the forces acting on the totes to keep them at rest. The totes would not stay at rest if the non-platform resting entity (the robot) were removed. In other words, the tower wouldn't stay leaning if we removed the robot.
Were we correct, or did we err?
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I think this is correct. "Supported" does not necessarily mean "force applied directly opposite of gravity". In that case the upper totes were providing support to the lower totes by means of friction. Or perhaps the lip of the lower tote was pushed against the upper tote. Those totes, in turn, are supported by the robot. So it would be inaccurate to say that the bottom totes are supported entirely by other scored totes.