Mass Shootings in the US

Tragically, we have had another mass shooting in the US. The chart above summarises deaths from such events (data collated by Mother Jones). It is clear that the problem has been getting worse since about 2005 (statistically significant at p < 0.00001).

Social factors appear to be blame, since there has been no signficant change in the availability of weapons in that time. Those social factors might include mental health policy, education policy, social media, video games, drugs, the decline of religion, media coverage of past shootings, etc. It seems to me that serious study is urgently required. Some things we do know: psychiatrist Ragy Girgis suggests:

“With exceptions, many of these [perpetrators] tended to be younger males who were empty, angry, and nihilistic, felt rejected by society, were socially, occupationally and/or academically unsuccessful, and blamed society for their failures. These individuals tended to have very fragile egos and were highly narcissistic, feeling they were much more special than they actually were and deserving of fame and notoriety. They harbored a strong desire for this notoriety and infamy. Committing a mass shooting instantly produces these results in today’s culture.”

In the Mother Jones dataset (for 1982 onwards), 13 states have never had a mass shooting (Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming), while in 13 other states, the chance of dying in a mass shooting exceeds 0.1 per million per year:

State	Total Fatalities	Annual Deaths per million
California	175	0.11
Nebraska	9	0.11
Oklahoma	19	0.11
Wisconsin	28	0.12
Washington	37	0.12
Hawaii	7	0.12
Texas	151	0.12
Florida	126	0.14
Virginia	53	0.15
Colorado	53	0.22
Connecticut	41	0.27
DC	12	0.43
Nevada	63	0.48

The relevant social factors are therefore not uniform across the United States. The map below shows the mean annual death rate per million for mass shootings in each state (for 1982 to 2023, excluding Alaska = 0 and Hawaii = 0.12):

Edit: Ragy Girgis, quoted above, notes that perpetrators tended to be “occupationally and/or academically unsuccessful.” Consequently, state unemployment rate is a statistically significant risk factor (p = 0.0148):

Even more significant (p = 0.0046) is the correlation with the Social Support Index from the US Joint Economic Committee Social Capital Project. Better social support helps to reduce the risk of mass shootings.

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BWSC 2023

It’s still early days, but here is a list of 47 cars (from 25 countries; 32 Challengers and 14 Cruisers) likely to attend the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in October this year. There are some familar names as well as some newcomers (AgniRath from India, SOLO from Korea, Wakayama from Japan, aCentauri from Switzerland, Solaride from Estonia, and Ascend from Australia). Check out the new design by JU!

This list is a work in progress, and the team numbers are mostly guesswork.

See this page and this blog tag for my past coverage of the event, and the official race social media at        (click on the icons).

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2    University of Michigan Solar Car Team 

Challenger (new car: Astrum) – I expect them to reveal their car in July. Their car name is derived from the Latin phrase per ardua ad astra.

Previously, Michigan came 9^th at WSC 13; came 4^th at WSC 15; came 2^nd at WSC 17; came 3^rd at WSC 19; won ASC 14; won ASC 16; came 2^nd at ASC 18; and won Abu Dhabi 15. Their team number (2) is a long-standing tradition.

 
Left: credit / Right: Anthony Dekker (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

3    Brunel Solar Team (Delft) 

Challenger (new car: Nuna12) – they are building their 12^th car for the 2023 World Solar Challenge.

Previously, Delft won WSC 13; won WSC 15; won WSC 17; came 12^th at WSC 19; won SASOL 14; won SASOL 16; won SASOL 18; won SASOL 22; and came 3^rd at SCM 21. Their team number (3) is a long-standing tradition.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

4    Antakari Solar Team 

Challenger (new car: Intikallpa VI) – they will reveal their car in August.

Previously, Antakari participated in the WSC 13 Adventure class; came 10^th at WSC 17; and came 7^th at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

6    Top Dutch Solar Racing 

Challenger (new car) – they are building a new car for the event, and will reveal it in June.

Previously, Top Dutch came 4^th at WSC 19; came 3^rd at iESC 20; came 5^th at iESC 22; and came 4^th at SCM 21.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

7    Adelaide University Solar Racing Team 

Asymmetric challenger (Lumen II) – they will be restoring and improving Lumen II for this event.

Previously, Adelaide came 21^st at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; and came 16^th at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

8    Innoptus Solar Team / KU Leuven 

Challenger (new car) – they have a new name and a new sponsor, and are building a new car (their 10^th).

Previously, Innoptus came 6^th at WSC 13; came 5^th at WSC 15; came 3^rd at WSC 17; won WSC 19; came 3^rd at Abu Dhabi 15; came 2^nd at SASOL 22; came 2^nd at iESC 16; came 6^th at iESC 18; came 1^st and 6^th at iESC 20; won iESC 21; came 6^th at iESC 22; won Carrera Solar Atacama 18; and came 2^nd at SCM 21. Their team number (8) is a long-standing tradition.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

10    Tokai University 

Monohull challenger (new car: Tokai Challenger) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, Tokai came 2^nd at WSC 13; came 3^rd at WSC 15; came 4^th at WSC 17; came 2^nd at WSC 19; came 7^th at Abu Dhabi 15; came 2^nd at SASOL 16; and came 2^nd at SASOL 18.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

12    Cambridge University Eco Racing 

Four-seat cruiser (Helia) – they are hoping to take their cruiser back to Australia.

Previously, Cambridge came 22^nd at WSC 15; participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class; and came 10^th at iESC 16.

 
Left: Nigel / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

15    Western Sydney Solar Team 

Challenger (new car) – I understand that they are building a new car of some kind.

Previously, WS came 11^th at WSC 13; came 10^th at WSC 15; came 6^th at WSC 17; came 20^th at WSC 19; and won ASC 18.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: Anthony Dekker (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

18    EcoPhoton Solar Car Team (UiTM) 

Challenger (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, EcoPhoton came 26^th at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; and participated at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

20    Durham University Solar Car 

Challenger (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, DU Solar came 27^th at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; and came 14^th at WSC 19.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

21    Solar Team Twente 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new car: Red X) – the 2023 World Solar Challenge will see their 10^th car. The design was revealed on March 9. It is the second three-wheeler after RED E.

Previously, Twente came 3^rd at WSC 13; came 2^nd at WSC 15; came 5^th at WSC 17; came 17^th at WSC 19; won iESC 16; came 1^st and 2^nd at iESC 18; came 2^nd and 4^th at iESC 20; came 3^rd at iESC 21; came 3^rd and equal 8^th at iESC 22; and won SCM 21. Their team number (21) is a pun and a wish for success in the race (“Twente-One”).

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

22    Illini (University of Illinois) 

Monohull challenger (new car) – I understand that they plan to replace their existing Brizo by their new Project C before the event.

Previously, Illini participated in the WSC 17 Adventure class; came 7^th at ASC 18; came 4^th at FSGP 19; came 4^th at ASC 21; and came 6^th at ASC 22. Their team number (22) is a tradition since 1995.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

23    Halmstad University Solar Team 

Three-wheel challenger (new car: Heart 4) – In 2021 they revealed a three-fairing car.

Previously, HUST participated at WSC 19 and participated at Swedish Solar Race 21.

 
Left: credit / Right: JU Solar Team (click images to zoom)

24    Istanbul Technical University (ITU) 

Challenger (Ariba ZES X) – this car has replaced their older B.O.W. It toured Turkey in 2022.

Previously, ITU came 17^th at WSC 13; participated at WSC 17; came 7^th at iESC 16; came 7^th at iESC 20; came 8^th at iESC 21; and came 4^th at iESC 22. Their usual team number (34) is the vehicle license plate prefix for Istanbul.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

25    Sophie Team (VTC) 

Two-seat cruiser (Sophie 6s) – their car is a modification of Sophie 6 from 2017.

Previously, VTC participated in the WSC 13 Adventure class; participated in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; and came 3^rd in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

28    AgniRath (IIT Madras) 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new team) – this is a new team from IIT Madras.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

30    Flinders University 

Two-seat cruiser (new car: Investigator IV) – their new car looks like a Cybertruck.

Previously, Flinders participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class and participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

33    Team Arrow 

Cruiser – they plan to be at the event, but I am not sure which vehicle they will race.

Previously, Arrow came 7^th at WSC 13; came 8^th at WSC 15; came 3^rd in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 19 Adventure class; came 5^th at Abu Dhabi 15; and came 8^th at iESC 18. Their usual team number (30) is the average age of people on the original team.

picture credit (click image to zoom – OLD PIC)

35    University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project 

Cruiser (new car: Gaia ) – they are America’s Cruiser class pioneers. I understand that they are building a new car to replace Freya.

Previously, Minnesota came 4^th in the WSC 13 Cruiser class; came 5^th in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; came 5^th in the WSC 19 Cruiser class; came 2^nd at ASC 14; came equal 10^th at ASC 16; came equal 2^nd in the ASC 18 Cruiser class; came 2^nd in the ASC 21 Cruiser class; and won the ASC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (35) is derived from the Interstate 35 highway.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

37    Goko High School

Challenger (new car) – this high-school team always does very well.

Previously, Goko came 5^th in the WSC 13 Cruiser class; came 14^th at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; and came 13^th at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

40    Solar Team Eindhoven 

Four-seat cruiser (new car: Stella Terra) – their focus for 2021 was a Self-sustaining House On Wheels (Stella Vita). This year they are building an off-road vehicle. I am not sure if that is actually intended to compete in the Cruiser class.

Previously, Eindhoven won the WSC 13 Cruiser class; won the WSC 15 Cruiser class; won the WSC 17 Cruiser class; won the WSC 19 Cruiser class; came 7^th in the iESC 18 Cruiser class; came 1^st and 2^nd in the iESC 20 Cruiser class; and came 3^rd in the iESC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (40) is the Eindhoven telephone area code.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

41    Australian National University 

Three-wheel (tadpole) challenger (new car: Solar Car 3) – they have a hot new car.

Previously, ANU participated at WSC 17 and participated at WSC 19.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

42    SA Solar Vehicle Association  

Adventure (SAV) – this team was formerly TAFE SA.

Previously, SASVA came 7^th in the WSC 13 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 15 Adventure class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; and participated in the WSC 19 Adventure class.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

45    Lodz Solar Team 

Four-seat cruiser (Eagle Two) – this car is still going strong, but I am not certain that it will be racing.

Previously, Lodz participated in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class; came 5^th at SASOL 16; won the iESC 18 Cruiser class; came 2^nd in the iESC 21 Cruiser class; and won the iESC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (45) is a tradition since 2015.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

46    JU Solar Team 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new car: Axelight) – they have abandoned the catamaran approach, revealing revealed their new monohull on 22 March.

Previously, JU came 20^th at WSC 13; came 15^th at WSC 15; came 8^th at WSC 17; and came 10^th at WSC 19. Their team number (46) is the Swedish national telephone prefix.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

47    Nagoya Institute of Technology Solar Racing 

Challenger (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, NITech came 16^th at WSC 15; came 12^th at WSC 17; and came 8^th at WSC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

48    Futuro Solare Onlus 

Cruiser (new car: Archimede 2.0) – they have an exciting new design concept and are working on construction (see also this video).

Previously, Futuro participated at iESC 16 and participated at iESC 18.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

49    Siam Technical College 

Cruiser (new car: STC-4) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, STC came 28^th at WSC 15; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; and participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

51    Chalmers Solar Team 

Challenger (new car) – they are building a new vehicle to replace their elegant bullet car.

Previously, Chalmers came 21^st at WSC 19; came 5^th at iESC 21; came 7^th at iESC 22; participated at Swedish Solar Race 21; and came 6^th at SCM 21.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

57    Seoul National University (SNU SOLO) 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new team) – this is a new team.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

61    Wakayama University Solar Car Team 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new team with car: Ume☆Go) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

62    Solis-EV (TU Cluj-Napoca) 

Challenger (Solis) – this is team is from Cluj-Napoca in Romania.

Previously, Solis-EV came 9^th at iESC 21; came equal 8^th at iESC 22; and came 4^th at ISC 22.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

64    aCentauri Solar Racing (ETHZ) 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger (new team) – this is the second Swiss team, made up mostly of students from ETH Zurich. They have benefited from the advice of SER, the other Swiss team. Their team number (64) commemorates the world’s oldest solar car race, the Tour de Sol, which first took place in Switzerland in 1985.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

66    Solaride 

Two-seat cruiser (new team) – this new team from Estonia has built a good-looking Cruiser. They are based in the city of Tartu.

Previously, Solaride participated in the SCM 21 Adventure class.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

67    Deakin University / ACCIONA (Ascend) 

Two-seat cruiser (new team with car: Ascend) – this new Australian team has a nice-looking Cruiser.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

70    Sonnenwagen Aachen 

Challenger (new car: Sonnenwagen 4) – they have begun building a new car, which they will reveal on 5 June.

Previously, Aachen participated at WSC 17; came 6^th at WSC 19; came 3^rd at iESC 18; came 5^th and 8^th at iESC 20; came 2^nd and 6^th at iESC 21; came 1^st and 2^nd at iESC 22; won ISC 22; and came 5^th at SCM 21. Their team number (70) is the number they raced with in 2017.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

75    Sunswift (University of New South Wales) 

Cruiser (new car: Sunswift 7) – they revealed their new car in 2021 and achieved a world record for fastest EV over 1000km on a single charge, doing so in under 12 hours.

Previously, Sunswift came 3^rd in the WSC 13 Cruiser class; came 4^th in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; and came 2^nd in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

77    Blue Sky Solar Racing (Toronto) 

Monohull challenger (new car: Borealis) – they revealed Borealis in 2022.

Previously, Blue Sky came 8^th at WSC 13; came 12^th at WSC 15; came 11^th at WSC 17; came 11^th at WSC 19; and came 3^rd at ASC 16.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

80    Beijing Institute of Technology 

Four-seat cruiser (Sun Shuttle IV) – this team did well last WSC. They have been rebuilding the Sun Shuttle III from that race.

Previously, Beijing came 19^th at WSC 13; came 24^th at WSC 15; and came 6^th in the WSC 19 Cruiser class.

 
Left: credit / Right: Anthony Dekker (click images to zoom)

82    Sakarya University (SAITEM) 

Three-wheel (tadpole) monohull challenger – after racing in 2009 and 2011, they plan to return to the WSC in 2023. As with other teams they have abandoned the catamaran concept for a bullet car which they hope has higher aerodynamic efficiency.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

84    Solar Team Solaris (Dokuz Eylül University) 

Challenger (S11) – they have replaced their old catamaran with a bullet car, which they will be racing again, I believe.

Previously, Solaris participated in the WSC 13 Adventure class; came 25^th at WSC 15; came 18^th at WSC 19; came 9^th at iESC 16; came 7^th at iESC 21; came equal 8^th at iESC 22; came 3^rd at ISC 22; came 2^nd at Albi Eco 18; and came 2^nd at MSRC 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

86    Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) 

Asymmetric challenger (Sun Chaser 4) – they are now the premier South African team. See this website for video explanations of the technologies behind the car.

Previously, TUT came 6^th at SASOL 16; came 4^th at SASOL 18; came 3^rd at SASOL 22; and won Ilanga Cup 22.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

88    Kogakuin Solar Team 

Challenger (new car) – I am not sure what their plans are, exactly.

Previously, Kogakuin came 14^th at WSC 13; came 2^nd in the WSC 15 Cruiser class; came 7^th at WSC 17; and came 5^th at WSC 19. Their team number (88) is multi-faceted (88 is a lucky number in Japanese kanji; 4 wheels looks like 88; and the team garage is in Hachioji city, with “hachi” meaning “eight”).

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom – OLD PICS)

89    Estidamah 

Asymmetric challenger (Sana) – this was formerly the Seraaj team.

Previously, Estidamah participated at WSC 19.

picture credit (click image to zoom – OLD PIC)

92    Éclipse – Véhicule solaire de l’ÉTS  

Asymmetric challenger (new car: Eclipse XI) – they raced in Australia in 2019, finishing 2^nd among North American teams. They revealed their new car in February.

Previously, Eclipse came 18^th at WSC 13; came 9^th at WSC 19; came 10^th at ASC 14; came 8^th at ASC 16; came 4^th at FSGP 17; came 3^rd at ASC 18; and came 5^th at ASC 22.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

95    Kaohsiung / Apollo 

Two-seat cruiser (new car: Apollo IX) – they have a beautiful new car.

Previously, Apollo came 6^th in the WSC 13 Cruiser class; participated in the WSC 17 Cruiser class; and came 9^th at Abu Dhabi 15.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

This page last updated 20:43 on 25 April 2023 AEST.

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FSGP 2023

The Formula Sun Grand Prix is on again this year at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas. Scrutineering begins on 27 June.

Here is a list of the 17 teams (15 Challenger/SOV cars and 2 Cruiser/MOV cars) from 2 countries registered for the race. Teams are sorted in team number order and, as always, you can click the social media links, and click images to zoom (I have not yet found images for some of the newer teams). You can also check out the official ASC social media at        (click on the icons).

5    University of Florida (Solar Gators) 

Monohull challenger (new car: Sunrider) – they have a beautiful new car.

Previously, Florida came equal 15^th at FSGP 17; came 10^th at FSGP 18; came 8^th at FSGP 19; and came 10^th at FSGP 22.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

6    UC Berkeley Solar Vehicle Team (CalSol) 

Symmetric challenger (Zephyr) – they raced in Australia in 2019 as number 66: read about their Australian adventures here.

Previously, CalSol participated in the WSC 19 Cruiser class; came 15^th at FSGP 14; came 7^th at FSGP 15; came 9^th at ASC 16; won FSGP 17; came 6^th at ASC 18; came 2^nd in the FSGP 19 Cruiser class; came 6^th at ASC 21; and came 4^th at ASC 22.

 
Left: Anthony Dekker / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

7    Dalhousie 

Symmetric challenger (new team with car: Nova) – this new team is from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. They are quite far behind on compulsory FSGP/ASC documentation, suggesting that they are in some degree of trouble, and might not attend the race.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

11    Northwestern 

Symmetric challenger (SC7) – while a new SC8 is planned eventually, they will race the SC7 they sent to FSGP 19.

Previously, Northwestern came 16^th at FSGP 16; came 12^th at FSGP 17; and came 10^th at FSGP 19.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

12    Hot Wheelz (Rochester Institute of Technology) 

Challenger (new team) – this is an all-female team, with experience in Formula SAE. They are quite far behind on compulsory FSGP/ASC documentation, suggesting that they are in some degree of trouble, and might not attend the race.

placeholder photo: Dennis Cantrell / US Navy

17    Illinois State 

Symmetric challenger (Mercury 6) – I understand that they are racing their existing car. They are currently leading the field on compulsory FSGP/ASC documentation.

Previously, Illinois St came equal 16^th at FSGP 14; came 3^rd at FSGP 15; came 11^th at ASC 16; came 5^th at FSGP 17; came 12^th at FSGP 18; came 7^th at FSGP 19; came 7^th at ASC 21; came 11^th at FSGP 22; and came 13^th at Abu Dhabi 15.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

21    Kennesaw State 

Challenger (new team with car: Icarus) – I am not sure of the status of this team.

placeholder photo: Dennis Cantrell / US Navy

32    Principia Solar Car Team 

Asymmetric challenger (Ra XI) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, Principia came 17^th at WSC 15; participated at WSC 17; came 5^th at ASC 14; came 5^th at FSGP 15; came 5^th at ASC 16; came 13^th at FSGP 17; came 2^nd at FSGP 19; came 3^rd at ASC 21; came 2^nd at ASC 22; and came 6^th at Abu Dhabi 15.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

55    Esteban (Poly Montreal) 

Two-seat cruiser (Esteban 10) – they have transitioned to the Cruiser (MOV) class.

Previously, Esteban came 4^th at ASC 14; came 2^nd at FSGP 15; came equal 10^th at ASC 16; came 3^rd at FSGP 17; came 4^th at ASC 18; won FSGP 19; and came 3^rd in the ASC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (55) is the year that Western Electric began to sell licenses for silicon PV technology.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

66    Rutgers University 

Asymmetric challenger (Arctan) – they seem to have been given Stanford’s 2015 car.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

87    University of Virginia 

Monohull challenger (Rivanna 2) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, UVA came 12^th at FSGP 22.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

540    Virginia Tech 

Monohull challenger (new team) – I am not sure of the status of this team. Their team number (540) is the telephone area code for parts of northwestern Virginia.

placeholder photo: Dennis Cantrell / US Navy

608    Badgerloop (Wisconsin) 

Monohull challenger (new team) – they have revealed their new car. Their team number (608) is the telephone area code for southwestern Wisconsin.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

614    Buckeye (Ohio State) 

Symmetric challenger (new team with car: Farasi) – they seem to have been given Sunseeker’s Farasi. Their team number (614) is the telephone area code for parts of Columbus, Ohio.

picture credit (click image to zoom)

777    Tigres Del Sol (University of the Pacific) 

Challenger (new team) – I am not sure of the status of this team. They are quite far behind on compulsory FSGP/ASC documentation, suggesting that they are in some degree of trouble, and might not attend the race.

placeholder photo: Dennis Cantrell / US Navy

786    Western Michigan (Sunseeker) 

Asymmetric challenger (Aethon) – I understand that they are racing their existing car.

Previously, W Mich came 7^th at ASC 14; came 14^th at FSGP 17; came 9^th at ASC 18; came 5^th at FSGP 19; came 8^th at FSGP 21; and came 8^th at FSGP 22. Their team number (786) is the sequence of digits for S-U-N on old phones (but last year they raced as 30).

photo: WMU team (click image to zoom)

828    Appalachian State University (Sunergy) 

Two-seat cruiser (ROSE) – this team has a fantastic, well-tested car.

Previously, AppState came 6^th at ASC 16; came 2^nd at FSGP 17; came equal 2^nd in the ASC 18 Cruiser class; won the ASC 21 Cruiser class; and came 2^nd in the ASC 22 Cruiser class. Their team number (828) is the telephone area code for western North Carolina.

 
Left: credit / Right: credit (click images to zoom)

This page last updated 19:11 on 25 May 2023 AEST.

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Pi Day once more!

In honour of Pi Day (March 14), the chart shows six ways of randomly selecting a point in a unit disc. Four of the methods are bad, for various reasons.

A. Midpoint of random p, q on circumference

p = (cos(𝜃₁), sin(𝜃₁)) is a point on the circumference

q = (cos(𝜃₂), sin(𝜃₂)) is another point on the circumference

x = ½ cos(𝜃₁) + ½ cos(𝜃₂) and

y = ½ sin(𝜃₁) + ½ sin(𝜃₂), for random 𝜃₁ and 𝜃₂, define their midpoint.

B. Random polar coordinates

x = r cos(𝜃)

and y = r sin(𝜃), for random angle 𝜃 and radius r ≤ 1. This gives choices biased towards the centre.

C. Random y, then restricted x

Random y, followed by random x in the range −√(1−y²) to √(1−y²). This gives choices biased towards the top and bottom.

D. Random point on chord in A

Similar to A, but x = a cos(𝜃₁) + (1−a) cos(𝜃₂)

and y = a sin(𝜃₁) + (1−a) sin(𝜃₂), for random 𝜃₁ and 𝜃₂ on the circumference of the circle and random a between 0 and 1. This gives choices biased towards the periphery.

E. Random polar with sqrt(r)

Similar to B, but x = √r cos(𝜃)

and y = √r sin(𝜃), for random angle 𝜃 and radius r. The square root operation makes the selection uniform across the disc.

F. Random x, y within disc

Random x and y, repeating the choice until x² + y² ≤ 1. This is uniform, and the selection condition restricts the final choice to the disc.

Oh, and here are some Pi Day activities.

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The train crash in East Palestine, Ohio

A great deal has been written about the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The preliminary NTSB report is one of the few solidly factual responses. One important question has been: what happens when vinyl chloride burns? Theoretically, in the presence of enough oxygen, you get this:

More realistically, based on the above reaction and this paper, you also get carbon monoxide, black soot (carbon), and traces of phosgene:

Why was it burned? Because vinyl chloride, if it gets too warm, can spontaneously polymerise into PVC plastic. That reaction is heat-producing and can lead to an explosion. Since the fire following the derailment had heated the rail cars containing vinyl chloride to dangerous levels, authorities believed an explosion was imminent. A controlled burn was probably a rational decision at the time.

Hydrogen chloride (HCl) in the smoke cloud was probably the immediate threat resulting from the controlled burn (and the likely cause of dead birds), although the HCl would soon have been safely diluted by rain. Unburned vinyl chloride in the subsoil is probably the longer-term threat, and (I understand) the focus of cleanup efforts.

Why did the train derail? This (somewhat fuzzy) map and chart is my best guess at a timeline. As the train travelled east, hotbox detectors (HBDs) noted increasing wheel bearing temperatures on car 23. Some media reports suggest flames of burning axle grease were seen in Columbiana, Ohio. The HBD at East Palestine noted a temperature of 253°F above ambient, higher than the railway company’s critical threshold. The crew immediately began to further slow the already slowing train, at which point the faulty wheel bearing on car 23 failed catastrophically, triggering the derailment and fire:

The map at database.defectdetector.net suggests that there used to be hotbox detector near Columbiana, Ohio (at MP 60.8), and this would presumably have caught the fault in time to avoid a derailment. One wonders what became of that HBD. It’s a pity that we need to wait 18 months for the NTSB’s final report.

Meanwhile, the EPA has put all their air, soil, and water testing results online.

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