Programming instructions

Reference
Project Lead The Way © and Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy © / For use with VEX
®
Robotics Systems
Glossary • 9
Glossary continued
Scanning: See Mapping. The act of examining sequentially, part by part. Scanning may be part of an automated process
which searches for either a single object or a type of object. It may also be part of the process whereby mapping is
accomplished. In either case, the robot scans part of the area to be examined, gathering sensor input allowing a part of a
map to be constructed, or for the presence or absence of the desired object(s) to be determined. Then it proceeds to the
next part of the area, continuing in a systematic fashion until all parts of the area have been scanned and a map of the
entire area can be constructed, or the presence or absence of the desired object(s) in the area can be determined.
Schedule: In project management, a schedule consists of a list of a project’s terminal elements, or deadlines, with
intended start and nish dates. Gantt and PERT Charts are important project management scheduling tools.
Scientic Inquiry: The process by which scientists seek to ask and answer questions about the world. Evidence, models,
and logical explanation are all key parts of the process. Inquiry is NOT a rigid series of steps, but rather a uid cycle of
proposing, examining, and revising explanations to nd the best answer to a question.
Sender, Remote: Used to sense something at a distance. Remote communication may be used to transfer the remote
sensor’s data.
Sense-Plan-Act: The three characteristic capabilties that dene a robot. The robot must be able to “Sense” things about
its environment, it must be able to “Plan” an appropriate response to those factors, and it must be able to “Act” accordingly.
Sensor: A device that detects some important physical quality or quantity about the surrounding environment, and
conveys the information to the robot in electronic form.
Slope Intercept: See Best-t Line. A slope-intercept equation contains two variables, x and y, usually in the form y = mx +
b. The quantity m describes the slope of a line on a graph, and b describes the y-intercept.
Sound Sensor: A sensor that detects sound waves and reports the amount of sound back.
Sound wave: A “moving” pattern of high and low pressure in air (or other medium), perceived as sound.
SPA: See Sense-Plan-Act.
Specications: A specication is a set of requirements. Normally, a specication is the specic set of (high level)
requirements listed by the sponsor, which a project must meet. A project specication may be that a robot can be no
bigger than 2 feet long, or that it must be able to travel at over 30 km an hour, for example.
Speed: The rate at which an object is moving. The rate of change an object’s position over time. Calculated by dividing the
distance an object moves by the amount of time it took to move.
STEM: Acronym for the closely related elds of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Stimulus: Anything that may have an impact on a system; an input to the system. A program may wait for a given stimulus
(like the Touch Sensor being pressed) to execute a specic behavior (like stopping).
Stimulus-Response: Action made in response to a stimulus. The stimulus-response cycle enables robots to interact
effectively with their environment.
Strategy/Strategize: A master plan for accomplishing certain goals. To strategize means to come up with a plan to meet a
goal.
Support Polygon: The imaginary polygon formed by connecting all the points where an object touches the ground.
This polygon marks the boundaries of where the object’s Center of Mass can be while remaining stable. If the Center of
Mass is not directly over the interior of the Support Polygon, the object will fall over.
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