What is the science behind the egg drop experiment?
The science behind solving the falling egg “problem” is found in Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion. The first law states that an object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion, unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force.
How do you explain an egg drop in physics?
When dropped, the egg is accelerated by gravity. When the air resistance (the force experienced when placing one’s hand out in a strong wind), which increases with increasing velocity, equals gravity, the egg’s velocity will remain constant. This velocity is known as terminal velocity.
How do you do the egg drop challenge?
Procedure
- Come up with an idea of some type of container you can make to protect an egg from a high fall.
- Build your container and place the egg inside.
- Drop the egg from someplace high. (Be sure it’s safe and an adult is with you.)
- After you drop it look and see if your egg cracked or remained intact.
What forces are acting on an egg drop?
A falling object (egg) has a downward force acting on it due to gravity. Air resistance acting on the falling egg results in an upward force, and these 2 forces oppose each other.
What makes an egg drop successful?
Ensure that you have enough padding in the box to cover the egg evenly on all sides. When the box hits the ground, the force will cause the box to crush, which absorbs much of the shock of the fall. The force is also evenly distributed throughout and absorbed by the cushioning material.
What is the best design for egg drop?
Container Designs These hard containers may be plastic food containers or cardboard boxes. But the hard container alone is not enough to protect the egg completely. The container needs padding inside. Styrofoam, sponges, cotton balls, bubble wrap or even wadded newspaper can all make good padding inside the container.
What materials work best for an egg drop?
What are the best materials for an egg drop?
- Raw egg, or other payload that needs protecting.
- Container, like a cardboard tube, cup, box, etc.
- External protection materials, like balloons, rubber bands, craft sticks, straws, etc.
- Internal padding, like fabric, packing materials, paper, etc.
- Pen or pencil.
- Paper.
- Tape.