Q: What does VEX Robotics Competitions: STEM-On-Rails IP Math & Physics Guide cover? A: How the VEX IQ, V5 (VRC) and VEX U contests translate coding, mechanics and teamwork into the very algebra, vectors and energy laws your IP child meets in.
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.
Registration quick answer (Singapore): Teams/coaches register on RobotEvents (official REC Foundation platform) for Singapore events; rules and windows change each season. Start from REC Foundation and the RobotEvents portal for listings and requirements: https://recf.org/ and https://www.robotevents.com/
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 .
A 300 rpm V5 Smart Motor geared 7:1 outputs ≈43rpm at the axle; the speed-torque inverse mirrors the ratio & proportion WA strand.
3.2 Torque & power ↔ Work-Energy
Motor stall torque τs and free speed ωf form a linear map to power: Pout=τω≤41τsωf. 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 v0 and θ; range R=gv02sin2θ 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 = \(\theta\).
