VEX Robotics Competitions: STEM-On-Rails IP Math & Physics Guide
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)05 Aug 2025, 00:00 Z
TL;DR
VEX Robotics is a season-long, game-change competition that begins with a May game reveal, funnels through local qualifiers and culminates at the VEX World Championship — the world's largest student robotics event since 2018. Each division (IQ, VRC, U) bakes gear ratios, projectile arcs and PID control straight into the IP Maths & Physics syllabus, making every driver-practice a stealth WA revision.
1 What exactly is “VEX”?
| Division | Age/Level | Robot kit & size | Field | 2024-25 game |
| VEX IQ Challenge (VIQC) | Primary & lower secondary (≈8-14 y) | Plastic snap-fit parts, ≤19x11x15 in at start | 6 ft x 8 ft foam tiles with 13 in walls | Rapid Relay — pass rings through goals |
| VEX V5 Robotics Competition (VRC) | Sec 2-JC2 (≈12-18 y) | Metal V5 kit, ≤18x18x18 in start; expansion allowed in play | 12 ft x 12 ft with 2 in PVC perimeter | Over Under — score and launch yellow Triballs |
| VEX U | University/Polytechnic | Two bots: 24x24x24 in & 15x15x15 in; unlimited 3-D printing & custom PCBs allowed | Same 12 ft square + elevated barriers | Shares VRC game with higher object counts |
1.1 Scale of the programme
The 2023 VEX Worlds hosted over 800 teams from 40+ countries and retains the Guinness World Record for “largest robotics competition”. Singapore typically fields 30-40 teams, with National Championships held at Science Centre or Temasek Polytechnic each January .
2 Season timeline (sync your child's planner)
| Month | Milestone | IP-friendly action |
| Apr | World Championship + next-game reveal | Watch reveal video; start brainstorming drivetrain geometry. |
| May-Jun | Rulebook v1.0 released | Turn scoring rules into linear-programming “max score” worksheet. |
| Jul-Nov | Local scrimmages & Signature Events | Log each match — use scatter plots of score vs cycle time for Maths WA data-handling. |
| Jan | Singapore Nationals | Counts for DSA-Sec/JAE portfolios under Robotics talent area |
| Apr (next yr) | Worlds, Dallas (VRC & VIQC) | Travel-team experience = real-world vector decompositions & budget spreadsheets. |
3 Where VEX dovetails with IP Maths & Physics
3.1 Gear ratios ↔ Algebraic fractions
A 300 rpm V5 Smart Motor geared 7:1 outputs \( \approx 43 \space \text{rpm} \) at the axle; the speed-torque inverse mirrors the ratio & proportion WA strand.
3.2 Torque & power ↔ Work-Energy
Motor stall torque \(\tau_s\) and free speed \(\omega_f\) form a linear map to power:
\[
P_\text{out} = \tau \omega \le \tfrac14 \tau_s \omega_f.
\]
Students who graph this for their lift earn instant context when Paper 2 asks for the area under an \(F-x\) curve.
3.3 Projectile arcs ↔ SUVAT
Triballs in Over Under leave the flywheel at \(v_0\) and \(\theta\); range \(R = \tfrac{v_0^2 \sin 2 \theta}{g}\) appears verbatim in IP Sec 3 mechanics.
3.4 PID control ↔ Calculus
The “I” term is literally the integral of error over time — a concrete hook before H2 integration by parts.
4 Competition mechanics (what parents need to know)
| Match | Length | Teams/Alliances | Scoring cue |
| VIQC | 60 s driver, 15 s autonomous | 2 robots collaborate | Points for moving rings to goals or corral. |
| VRC | 15 s auton + 1 min 45 s driver | 2-team alliances | Triball in goal = 5 pts; elevation bonus end-game. |
| VEX U | same structure | University dual-bot alliance | Larger object count, extra autonomy bonus. |
Autonomous routines are coded in C++ or Python via VEXcode and tested on a gyroscope-referee field control system .
5 Getting started in Singapore
- Find a local team — MOE schools with Applied Learning Programme in robotics (e.g. RGS, ACS (I), Hwa Chong) run try-outs each May.
- DIY club — The REC Foundation allows “organisation teams” using community centres; grants exist for new VIQC entrants.
- DSA advantage — Robotics sits under Design & Innovation for DSA-Sec; portfolios accept skills-rankings from VEX Worlds or Nationals.
- Cost ballpark — A VIQC Starter Kit (robot + field tiles + half-game-set) is ≈ SGD 800 delivered ; split five ways it beats fortnightly tuition fees.
6 Quick WA-booster drills
| VEX task | Mirror WA topic | Mini-drill |
| Tune flywheel hood angle | Trig identities | Prove \(\sin(90^\circ - \theta)= \cos \theta\) then set hood = \(\theta\). |
| Auton line-follow using PID | Differential calculus | Plot error vs time, identify overshoot. |
| Drivetrain gearing for 200 rpm | Ratio & proportion | Simplify \(36:12:60\) two-stage. |
| Build load-spreader for ramp | Moments | Sum clockwise = anticlockwise around axle. |
7 Further reading
Last updated 5 Aug 2025 — all technical specs cross-verified against current 2024-25 game manuals and REC Foundation rulesets.
