FIRST LEGO League (FLL) — A STEM Launchpad for IP Math & Physics Learners
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)05 Aug 2025, 00:00 Z
TL;DR
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) packages mechanical design, block-based coding and real-world research into a yearly, theme-driven challenge that scales from kindergarten to teen engineers.
For IP students chasing A-Level Physics and H2 Mathematics mastery, the competition provides low-stakes, high-feedback cycles on vectors, torque and data logging long before WA crunch time hits.
1 What exactly is FLL?
| Division | Age band | Main deliverable |
| Discover | 4-6 yrs | Loose-part build & team poster |
| Explore | 6-10 yrs | Motorised LEGO model + Show-Me poster |
| Challenge | 9-16 yrs | Autonomous robot on 114 cm x 236 cm field + innovation project |
Source: FIRST overview pages.
The Challenge division is the version most Singapore secondary schools field. It fuses a 2 min 30 s robot game, an engineering notebook and a Shark-Tank-style innovation pitch.
2 2024-25 season theme: SUBMERGED SM
FIRST released the SUBMERGED SM game on 6 Aug 2024. Missions simulate underwater infrastructure: valve inspection, micro-ROV retrieval, coral relocation. Each robot match starts with reset sensors and a fully charged battery — no driver input once the clock begins.
3 5 robot facts every IP parent should know
- Field size
The Challenge mat is \(1140 \space \text{mm} \times 2360 \space \text{mm}\) (about 4 ft x 8 ft). - Match length
Exactly 150 s, so motion-planning equations mirror WA projectile timing. - Controller kit
Most teams use LEGO Education SPIKE Prime (45678) — US $429.95 list, ≈ S\$580 at 1.35 exchange. - Motor spec
Large angular motor stall torque \(\approx 0.25 \space \pu{N m}\) (25 N cm), plenty to lift a 700 g mission model. - Scoring ceiling
SUBMERGED SM offers a theoretical 420 pts; world-class runs exceed 400 pts.
4 How the physics translates to the classroom
| Robot element | Hidden syllabus link | Typical tuition drill |
| Wheel diameter 56 mm, axle gear ratio 2:1 | Circular motion \(v = r\omega\) | Convert wheel RPM to linear speed; predict travel time 400 mm |
| Gyro sensor yaw correction | Trigonometry & error propagation | Line-track for 600 mm, record \(\Delta \theta\), compute percentage drift |
| Arm lift torque | Moments \( \tau = Fd \) | Measure motor stall current, estimate lift mass limit |
| Line-following PID | Graphs, gradients | Plot error vs motor duty; derive slope for PD tuning |
5 Budgeting a season (Singapore context)
| Cost item | Price (SGD) | Notes |
| FIRST team registration | ~S\$380 (US $275 + shipping + GST) | Registration plus season set (US $95) |
| SPIKE Prime kit | ~S\$580 | One kit supports 3-4 students |
| Spare parts & sensors | S\$150 | Extra color sensor, wheels, gears |
| Local event fees | S\$120 | Qualifier + national finals |
| Misc (t-shirts, poster print) | S\$80 | Budget category |
Total ≈ S\$1.3k per team, or \(~\)S\$325 per student in a four-person squad — similar to one term of small-group tuition.
6 Competition calendar at a glance
| Window | Typical timing | What to schedule |
| Kick-off & kit delivery | Aug week 1 | Unbox, run sample mission, log baseline speed |
| Qualifier build sprint | Sep-Nov | Drive-base v1, code libraries, early science poster |
| National Championship | Late Jan to Mar | Refine autonomous runs, rehearse judging script |
| FIRST Championship (Houston) | 16-19 Apr 2025 | Only for Champion's Award winners or invited teams |
The Science Centre Singapore usually hosts the championship in Feb or Mar; dates shift slightly each season.
7 Leveraging FLL for IP Maths & Physics tuition
- Vector diagrams live — Every robot turn is a vector addition exercise. Have students draw tip-to-tail paths and compute resultant displacement.
- Torque meets moments — Arm design forces teams to balance \(\tau = Fd\) vs motor stall limit; this is the exact free-body diagram skill tested in Topic 2 WAs.
- Uncertainty propagation — Calibrating color sensor thresholds introduces \( \Delta x/x \) reasoning before H2 practical papers.
- Data-logger crossover — Logging gyro drift in Google Sheets mirrors Paper 4 spreadsheet LINEST gradient extraction.
8 Quick-start kit list (parents asking “what to buy first?”)
- SPIKE Prime (45678) — controller, 3 motors, sensors, 523 parts
- Season Challenge Set (SUBMERGED SM) — mission models + mat
- Expansion Set (45680) — extra gears and frames for experiments
- USB-C power bank — field-side battery top-up
- A4 sketchbook — every design sprint starts with a hand sketch
9 Further reading
10 Call-to-action
Parents: consider aligning a January tuition module on vectors and torque with the local FLL sprint — authentic context supercharges retention.
Students: try deriving the optimal wheel RPM for a 600 mm straight-line dash; test, log and adjust until your robot hits \(\pm 2 \space \pu{mm}\) repeatability.
Last updated 5 Aug 2025.
