The goal of this project is to design and build a contraption that will prevent a raw egg from breaking when dropped from a significant height. It's a hands-on engineering challenge that teaches important physics principles.
If a container is designed to increase the time of impact and distribute the force of the fall, then it will protect a raw egg from breaking by reducing the overall force exerted on the eggshell.
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Brainstorm different designs for your egg drop container. Think about how you can cushion the egg and slow its descent.
Sketch out your design on paper.
Build your container using the materials you have gathered. Make sure the egg fits securely inside.
Find a safe place to drop your container from a height of at least 10 feet (e.g., a second-story window or a ladder).
Place a raw egg inside your container and drop it.
Carefully open your container to see if the egg survived the fall.
If the egg broke, analyze your design and think about how you could improve it.
Rebuild and retest your design until you have a successful outcome.
Document each of your designs and the results of each drop test.
A successful design will protect the egg from breaking. This is achieved by using materials that absorb the shock of the impact (cushioning) and by increasing the time it takes for the egg to come to a complete stop. Designs that incorporate parachutes or wings to slow the descent are also often successful.
The design of the egg drop container.
Whether the egg breaks or not.
The height of the drop, the type of egg used, and the surface the container is dropped onto.
Be extremely careful when dropping the container from a height. Have an adult supervise the drop. Make sure the drop zone is clear of people and objects.
Display your final, successful container, as well as photos or drawings of your earlier, failed designs.
Use diagrams to explain the physics principles of impulse and momentum.
If possible, include a slow-motion video of the drop to show how your container works.
There is no single 'best' material. The key is to use a combination of materials that provide cushioning (like cotton balls or bubble wrap) and structural support (like straws or a cardboard frame). The goal is to absorb and distribute the force of the impact.
Slowing down the impact increases the time over which the force is applied. According to the impulse-momentum theorem, a longer impact time results in a smaller average force on the egg, making it less likely to break.
Common mistakes include not providing enough cushioning, making the container too heavy, or not securing the egg properly inside the container. It's important to test your design multiple times and make improvements based on the results.
