Title: Egg Drop Laboratory Report. General Purpose: Find out how to

egg drop project lab report

Related documents

Egg experiment lab - Norwell Public Schools

Study collections

Add this document to collection(s).

You can add this document to your study collection(s)

Add this document to saved

You can add this document to your saved list

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib

(For complaints, use another form )

Input it if you want to receive answer

Egg Drop Project

Students creating a housing to protect their egg

This is the classic egg drop experiment. Students try to build a structure that will prevent a raw egg from breaking when dropped from a significant height. They should think about creating a design that would reduce the amount of energy transferred from potential to kinetic energy on the egg shell. Some ways to do this would be to decrease the final speed of the egg using air resistance, increasing the time of the collision using some sort of cushion, transferring the energy into something else, or whatever else they can think of!

Each group of students gets the following:

  • 2 small paper cups
  • 1 sq ft of cellophane
  • 4 rubberbands
  • 4 popsickle sticks
  • 2 ft of tape
  • 1 egg (not provided)

Subjects Covered

  • Energy Conservation

Provided by requester

  • One egg for each student group
  • Floor covering (Ex: Newspaper, Tarp)

Provided by us

  • Small paper cups
  • Rubberbands
  • Popsickle sticks

Physics Behind the Demo

The Egg hitting the ground is a collision between the Earth and the Egg. When collisions occur, two properties of the colliding bodies are changed and/or transferred: their Energy and Momentum . This change and transfer is mediated by one or many forces . If the force is too strong, it can cause the shell of the egg to crack and break.

Momentum Transfer and Impulse (no Calculus)

Starting with the definition of Force a and knowing that acceleration is just the change in velocity over the change in time

$$ \textbf{F}=ma=m\cdot{\frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}} $$

If we move the $\Large \Delta t $ to the left side of the equation we can see how Force is related to momentum

$$ \textbf{F} \cdot{\Delta t}=m \cdot{\Delta v}$$

This means that the Force multiplied by the change in time, or duration of a collision, is equal to the mass multiplied by the change in velocity. Momentum (p) is defined as the mass multiplied by the velocity so the right side is the change in momentum. This change in momentum is the Impulse ( J )

$$ \textbf{J}= \textbf{F} \cdot{\Delta t}=\Delta \textbf{p}$$

a: In this case we are actually talking about the average force, but to keep things simple we will just call it the force.

Momemtum Transfer and Impulse (Calculus)

In Progress

STEM Library Lab

  • Capital Campaign
  • Mission Vision
  • Racial Equity
  • Staff and Board
  • Open Positions
  • In The News
  • Past Newsletters
  • Annual Reports
  • Community Business Initiative
  • In-Kind Support
  • Partners & Supporters

Egg Drop Lab

Students work in teams to design a container for an egg using provided materials. Students drop their containers, then analyze factors which can minimize force on the egg.

Optionally, students can complete a second round of the experiment if time permits. Students work in teams to design a container for an egg using provided materials.

Lesson Files

  • Egg Drop Guidelines (.docx)
  • Explore Momentum and Impact Force in an Egg Drop (.docx)
  • Explore Momentum and Impact Force in an Egg Drop (.pptx)

Rebecca

Looking for online physics labs

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Additional DCIs in This Strand

Materials needed for this lesson plan.

  • Straws, set of 250
  • Bag of Cotton Balls
  • Popsicle Craft Sticks (100 pieces)
  • Scotch Tape
  • Gallon Ziplock Bags

Lesson Plans

Explore the tides.

Overview: Have you ever built a sandcastle on a beach only to find it washed away a few hours later? Every 6 to 12 hours or so, the water along most coasts rises and falls in...

Build an Electromagnet

Overview: Student teams investigate the properties of electromagnets. They create their own small electromagnets and experiment with ways to change their strength to pick up...

Tree Growth Study

Overview: How can the age of a tree be determined? Is there a way to tell a good year of growth versus a bad year? Trees contain some of nature’s most accurate records of...

Investigating Shadows

Overview: In this activity, students will explore what affects the size of a shadow and compare the shadows of various opaque, transparent, and translucent objects. Part I....

The Dirty Water Project

Overview: In this hands-on activity, students investigate different methods—aeration and filtering—for removing pollutants from water. Working in teams, they design,...

Drops on a Penny Experiment

Overview: Have you ever noticed on a rainy day how water forms droplets on a window? Why doesn’t it spread out evenly over the whole surface? It has to do with...

Modeling Gravity

Overview: Why can we feel gravity pull us down towards the Earth, but not sideways towards other big objects like buildings? Why do the planets in our solar system orbit the...

Floodplain Modeling

Overview: Students explore the impact of changing river volumes and different floodplain terrain in experimental trials with table top-sized riverbed models. The models are...

Build a Waterwheel from Recycled Materials

Overview: Students observe a model waterwheel to investigate the transformations of energy involved in turning the blades of a hydro-turbine. They work as engineers to create...

Entanglement Challenge

Demonstrate the challenges for marine animals who get entangled in common debris with this 10 –15 minute activity about marine conservation. Pair this activity with a...

Animal Yoga

Stretch your way into different animal movements and poses to learn how they move, get food, and protect themselves. This 5-10 minute full-body activity for young learners...

Weaving the Web of Life

Overview: In this hands-on activity, students construct a food web with yarn to learn how food chains are interconnected. Objectives: 1. construct a food chain and explain...

Battle of the Beaks: Adaptations and Niches

Overview: In this simulation game, students learn about adaptive advantage, based on beak function, by simulating birds competing for various foods. Birds equipped with...

Modeling the Seasons

This hands-on activity demonstrates and explains how seasons is caused by the tilt of Earth on its axis as it orbits around the sun. Students model the seasons with their...

Ring and Discs Demonstration

Ready, Set, Go! A ring and disc of equal mass and diameter speed down an inclined plane. Which one wins? Not an easy prediction to make, but the victor will be clear. Results...

Fire Syringe Demonstration

This is one of the most impressive demonstrations of the heat produced when a gas is rapidly compressed and is the principle behind how a diesel engine functions. How does it...

Repairing Broken Bones: Biomedical Engineering Design Challenge

This STEM activity incorporates the engineering design process into a life or biomedical science activity. It can be used during an anatomy unit or in a health...

Modeling Moon Phases

This lesson on the phases of the moon features just one of several hands-on activities you can do with our adaptable Moon Model Kit. In this activity students will: 1. use...

Color-Changing Celery Experiment

This exciting experiment illustrates transpiration, the process of plants absorbing water through their roots. The water travels up tubes in the stems called xylem to all...

10 Activities To Try With the Magnetic Water Molecules Kit

Try out 10 exciting activities related to the properties of matter using our Magnetic Water Molecules Kit! The following topics are covered: Polarity Hydrogen...

What's Your Blood Type?

Overview Realistically simulate blood typing without the hazards of real blood. Using actual blood typing procedures, students classify four unknown samples of the simulated...

Understanding Natural Selection Through Models

Overview With this worksheet, students will explore one of the five mechanisms of evolution: natural selection. Students will analyze and interpret 3 models of natural...

HIV/AIDS Test Simulation Lab

Explore the immunological principle that antibodies bind to specific antigens. Your class will learn how ELISA – Enzyme Linked Immunoassay – is a fundamental...

Egg in a Bottle

Overview: In this classic demonstration, students will use differences in air pressure to force an egg into a bottle. This demonstration only takes 10 minutes and leaves your...

Magnetic Meiosis Model Demonstration

Teach the mechanisms of meiosis (and make it memorable!) with this simple and informative magnetic demonstration. Instead of struggling to tell which chromosome is which from...

Modeling the Effects of an Introduced Species

Overview Using a set of Food Web cards, each depicting an organism, students work in groups to model a food web for one of four ecosystems. Students are then given an...

Natural Selection: Antibiotic Resistance and Engineering the Fastest Fish

Overview Immerse your students in this engaging 3-part laboratory activity on evolution by natural selection! Your students will practice important science skills while...

Estimating Populations

Background The size of an animal population becomes newsworthy when it becomes very large (too many rats in one place) or very small (on the verge of extinction). How do...

Butterfly Wings: Using Nature to Learn About Flight

Background Have you ever seen butterflies fluttering around outside, gliding through the air and landing on flowers? While they are delicate and fragile, butterflies are...

Osmosis and Diffusion Lab

This lab allows you to learn about two forms of passive transport: diffusion and osmosis. You will compare and contrast similarities and differences in the processes of...

Seed Identification Activity

This laboratory activity will familiarize students with basic plant anatomy and the basic characteristics and functions of plant seeds. Students will practice using...

Genetics: The Science of Heredity — Modeling DNA Structure and the Process of Replication

This lesson is the first unit of a 5 part module entitled “Genetics: The Science of Heredity” developed by ETA Cuisenaire. Modeling DNA structure and the process...

Crime Scene Investigation Lab

Innovating Science’s crime scene investigation lab is used to study forensic techniques and features an activity to solve the crime of the missing frogs from the...

Measuring Precipitation of Hurricanes

This lesson deepens students’ understanding of how and why we measure precipitation across the globe through the study of rainfall patterns caused by hurricanes. Students...

Prey vs. Predator

The action in this fast-paced activity may become intense as student “predators” attempt to capture their “prey.” What happens when different organisms, living in the...

What Is in the Food You Eat?

In this activity, students test representative food samples for the presence of certain types of matter (nutrients). This investigation allows students to discover some of...

The Science of Spherification

Forget drinking your juice. Instead, try snacking on it! Use the steps and recipes in this food science project to transform drinks into semi-solid balls that pop in your...

Turn Milk Into Plastic

“Plastic made from milk” —that certainly sounds like something made-up. If you agree, you may be surprised to learn that in the early 20th century, milk was...

Proper Hand Washing Can Stop the Spread of Disease

People used to believe that disease was caused by miasma, a poisonous vapor which carried particles of rotting materials that caused illness. People knew that eating spoiled...

How Germs Spread

People used to think that angry gods caused disease, or that a poisonous vapor that came from rotting food or bad air caused illness. It took thousands of years for people to...

7 Van De Graaff Generator Activities

A set of activities to show how the generator works and the principles behind it.

Calorimetry Lab

How does the energy content in lipids and carbohydrates differ? Energy content is the amount of heat produced by the burning of a small sample of a substance and heating...

Owl Pellet Surprise

This fun, hands-on introductory dissection is a great springboard for teaching the techniques of using a science notebook while having students engage in the...

Stream Table Investigation

Overview: Students learn about water erosion through an experimental process in which small-scale buildings are placed along a simulated riverbank to experience a range of...

Boiling by Pressure Drop

The goal of this experiment is to demonstrate that boiling is not just a function of temperature, as most people believe. Rather, it is a function of both temperature and...

How to Make Water Cycle in a Bag

https://www.mobileedproductions.com/blog/how-to-make-a-water-cycle-in-a-bag

How do Antibiotics Affect Bacteria When They are Put Together

Plan and carry out investigations: collaboratively, in a safe and ethical manner including personal impacts such as health safety, to produce data to serve as the basis...

Building a Generator

Students work individually or in pairs to follow a set of instructions and construct a mini generator which powers a Christmas light. Best done as a take-home assignment.

Conservation of Momentum with Vernier

Teacher leads a demonstration with vernier carts of different/equal mass, equipped with bumpers and magnets to demonstrate a variety of scenarios in which as both carts...

3rd Law with Vernier

After learning about the 1st law of motion, students partake in a teacher-led series of questions about 2 carts, and which cart will experience a greater force. The teacher...

Gravitational Acceleration

In 2-3 person groups, students take the mass of assorted objects, then hang them from a spring scale to find their gravitational force. Using the F=ma equation, they rewrite...

Electricity and Magnetism Stations

Students work in teams to design a container for an egg using provided materials. Students drop their containers, then analyze factors which can minimize force on the...

How Does Volvo Keep Drivers Safe?

Students watch a series of short videos explaining how cars are designed with crumple zones, airbags, and automatic braking to prevent passenger damage in a collision....

Share Your Lesson Plan

We invite you to share your lesson plans as well so that we can continue to make this database a community resource.

  • Name First Last
  • Lesson Plan Name
  • Description of Lesson
  • Materials Borrowed for the Lesson
  • Upload lesson plans, handouts, or other documents Drop files here or Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pub, jpg, png.
  • Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

OFFICE HOURS WITH EXPERTS

Connect with a local STEM professional or subject matter expert for help with specific content questions. Below is our current roster of subject matter experts.

Monica Pasos Audubon Nature Institute Biofacts and animals

Amanda Rosenzweig Delgado Community College Microscopes and microscopy

EARTH & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Kyle Straub Tulane Local Louisiana ecology

LIFE SCIENCE

Physical science, robotics & engineering.

Cia Blackstock Director of Programs at Electric Girls Electrical engineering

STEM Library Lab is always looking for volunteers.

Whether you are a STEM practitioner and would like to become one of our local experts, a student looking to help with operations, or a member of the community interested in contributing to our mission in any way, we are eager to connect.

Just fill out the volunteer contact form and we’ll reach out soon!

  • I am a... STEM professional or academic Teacher or school staff Student Community member Other
  • I am interested in volunteering... At the library, assisting staff At the library, assisting teachers At a school Other
  • Anything else you'd like us to know about your background or volunteer interests?
  • Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Our Location

3011 N I-10 Service Rd E Metairie LA 70002 504.517.3584

Note: we are no longer located on St Bernard Av.

Monday - Friday 2:00-5:00 p.m. And by appointment

  • Nature of Inquiry Request inventory item Communities of practice Lesson plans Media inquiry Office hours with experts Microgrant opportunities Membership Sponsorship Other
  • Your Inquiry

STEM Library Lab Membership

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member school. This form is for schools that want more information about the paid School Membership tier with additional member benefits.  Free membership is always free , simply create a borrower profile here .

Please complete the form below, and we'll be in touch quickly to learn more about you and your school.

  • ROLE Role Principal Assistant Principal Teacher Teacher Aide Administrative Assistant Other
  • HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT STEM LIBRARY LAB? Referral from Colleague Web Search Social Media
  • Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Our monthly newsletter keeps you informed of goings-on, events, and high-interest items we stock.

  • Community Member
  • Name * First Last
  • School Name *
  • Form Name / Title *
  • Form Upload * Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pub, jpg, png.
  • Entry Form * Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pub, jpg, png.
  • Artwork * Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pub, jpg, png.

Application Submission

  • Project Title *
  • Application Upload * Drop files here or Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, pub, jpg, png.
  • Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • EXPLORE Random Article

How to Build an Egg Drop Project

Last Updated: January 21, 2022

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 13 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 27,865 times.

This project can be used by science students of various ages to complete a science fair project. These directions can be used to carry out directions and record results in a scientific fashion with accuracy to successfully complete an egg drop project.

Step 1 Collect all of the materials listed below that you will need for the project.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

  • Buy a trifold presentation board Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
  • Use color pictures Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
  • Create a digital graph online to compare all three trials of the experiment Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
  • Before dropping the experiment make sure that no one is walking in the area you will drop the egg.*Wear gloves while handling the egg, so in case egg cracks you are not exposed to the raw egg contents. *Do not conduct the experiment if you are allergic to eggs. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 5

Things You'll Need

  • Masking Tape
  • 1 bag of cotton balls
  • 2 boxes of facial tissue
  • 1 carton of 6 eggs
  • Presentation board

You Might Also Like

Ask for Feedback

About this article

Did this article help you.

Ask for Feedback

  • About wikiHow
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Info
  • Not Selling Info

Sciencing_Icons_Science SCIENCE

Sciencing_icons_biology biology, sciencing_icons_cells cells, sciencing_icons_molecular molecular, sciencing_icons_microorganisms microorganisms, sciencing_icons_genetics genetics, sciencing_icons_human body human body, sciencing_icons_ecology ecology, sciencing_icons_chemistry chemistry, sciencing_icons_atomic & molecular structure atomic & molecular structure, sciencing_icons_bonds bonds, sciencing_icons_reactions reactions, sciencing_icons_stoichiometry stoichiometry, sciencing_icons_solutions solutions, sciencing_icons_acids & bases acids & bases, sciencing_icons_thermodynamics thermodynamics, sciencing_icons_organic chemistry organic chemistry, sciencing_icons_physics physics, sciencing_icons_fundamentals-physics fundamentals, sciencing_icons_electronics electronics, sciencing_icons_waves waves, sciencing_icons_energy energy, sciencing_icons_fluid fluid, sciencing_icons_astronomy astronomy, sciencing_icons_geology geology, sciencing_icons_fundamentals-geology fundamentals, sciencing_icons_minerals & rocks minerals & rocks, sciencing_icons_earth scructure earth structure, sciencing_icons_fossils fossils, sciencing_icons_natural disasters natural disasters, sciencing_icons_nature nature, sciencing_icons_ecosystems ecosystems, sciencing_icons_environment environment, sciencing_icons_insects insects, sciencing_icons_plants & mushrooms plants & mushrooms, sciencing_icons_animals animals, sciencing_icons_math math, sciencing_icons_arithmetic arithmetic, sciencing_icons_addition & subtraction addition & subtraction, sciencing_icons_multiplication & division multiplication & division, sciencing_icons_decimals decimals, sciencing_icons_fractions fractions, sciencing_icons_conversions conversions, sciencing_icons_algebra algebra, sciencing_icons_working with units working with units, sciencing_icons_equations & expressions equations & expressions, sciencing_icons_ratios & proportions ratios & proportions, sciencing_icons_inequalities inequalities, sciencing_icons_exponents & logarithms exponents & logarithms, sciencing_icons_factorization factorization, sciencing_icons_functions functions, sciencing_icons_linear equations linear equations, sciencing_icons_graphs graphs, sciencing_icons_quadratics quadratics, sciencing_icons_polynomials polynomials, sciencing_icons_geometry geometry, sciencing_icons_fundamentals-geometry fundamentals, sciencing_icons_cartesian cartesian, sciencing_icons_circles circles, sciencing_icons_solids solids, sciencing_icons_trigonometry trigonometry, sciencing_icons_probability-statistics probability & statistics, sciencing_icons_mean-median-mode mean/median/mode, sciencing_icons_independent-dependent variables independent/dependent variables, sciencing_icons_deviation deviation, sciencing_icons_correlation correlation, sciencing_icons_sampling sampling, sciencing_icons_distributions distributions, sciencing_icons_probability probability, sciencing_icons_calculus calculus, sciencing_icons_differentiation-integration differentiation/integration, sciencing_icons_application application, sciencing_icons_projects projects, sciencing_icons_news news.

  • Share Tweet Email Print
  • Home ⋅
  • Science Fair Project Ideas for Kids, Middle & High School Students ⋅

The Science Behind the Egg Drop Experiment

The Science Behind the Egg Drop Experiment

Instructions for an Egg Drop Science Fair Project

The Egg Drop is a classic science class experiment for middle school or high school students. Students are given an egg to drop from a high point (such as the roof of the school) onto a hard surface (such as the parking lot). They must design a carrier for the egg to house it during the drop. Typical carriers are milk cartons or shoeboxes. The students can modify the carrier by adding wings, parachutes, foam interiors or even marshmallow cushions. The students form hypotheses about which of the egg carriers will effectively protect the egg and then test those hypotheses. The experiment is not just for fun -- although students do enjoy it. It is intended to teach students about the relationships between force and momentum.

Newton's Laws of Motion are the basic principles illustrated in the egg drop experiment. Sir Isaac Newton published his Laws of Motion in 1687 and fundamentally altered scientists' understanding of the world by describing the relationship between force and motion. The first of these laws is referred to as The Law of Inertia. In basic terms, an object that is in motion will stay in motion unless an external force acts upon it, and an object at rest will stay at rest unless an external force acts upon it.

In Newton's Second Law, he discusses the direct relationship between the external forces acting upon an object and the object's change in momentum. The force increases as the time required for the change decreases. If a train is moving along at a steady pace and needs to decelerate, the force experienced by the passengers will be greater as the time for deceleration is shorter.

The objective of the egg drop experiment is to keep the egg from breaking as it decelerates. It becomes clear from Newton's Laws that in order to minimize the force experienced by the egg at impact, students designing the egg carriers must increase the time over which the egg is brought to rest or decrease the egg's velocity at the time of the crash.

The Carrier

In order to decrease the egg's velocity upon impact, students must design their egg carriers to have increased air resistance. An increased surface area on the carrier, such as a flying disc shape or a parachute, will cause the egg to hit the ground at a lower speed. To increase the time over which the egg comes to rest, students must provide their egg with something to absorb some of the force of impact. A sponge or other cushion in their carrier will keep the egg from stopping instantly when it hits the ground; the egg will continue its motion for a few nanoseconds, decreasing the force. From this experiment, students also learn to form and test hypotheses and write up their observations in an organized way.

Related Articles

How to drop an egg without breaking it by using straws..., how to build a successful egg drop container for physics, egg drop school projects, how to demonstrate newton's laws of motion, egg drop experiments, successful egg drop ideas, density experiments for elementary, newton's laws of motion, science project egg experiments, how to make a rubber ball out of an egg, how to do an egg projectile project, successful egg drop contraptions for a science project, fun science activities for force & motion, how to float an egg in water, how to calculate the jump height from acceleration, the physical factors affecting parachutes, how to make an egg capsule out of straws.

  • Houghton Mifflin's Project-Based Learning Space: Project 3: The Egg-Drop Experiment: A Hands-On Investigative Activity
  • Discovery Education: Forces and Motion

About the Author

Jennifer Komatsu is the founder and director of Minnesota-based greyhound rescue shelter, producing content for the organization's website, blog and newsletters. She has also published articles in "Celebrating Greyhounds" magazine, as well as various psychology journals. Komatsu graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College, earning a B.A. in cognitive psychology.

Find Your Next Great Science Fair Project! GO

We Have More Great Sciencing Articles!

How to Drop an Egg Without Breaking It by Using Straws and Rubber Bands

Impulse momentum theorem: definition, derivation & equation.

egg drop project lab report

Return to PocketLab Home Page

Egg Drop Experiment with Data

Profile picture for user DaveBakker

We can take an egg drop further by adding sensor data collection. Normally an egg drop is a “pass or fail” activity, and collecting data is difficult. With an sensor in place of the egg for trial runs, students can refine their designs with real life data.

In the real world, engineers test systems extensively before running with a valuable payload. For example cars are tested for safety in the lab long before customers drive them. This lesson plan shows how to add engineering data collection to a standard egg drop activity with a PocketLab sensor.

NGSS Alignment

By adding data collection, an egg drop can be turned into a rich engineering design activity for the following NGSS standards: MS-ETS1-3 Engineering Design and MS-ETS1-4 Engineering Design .

Conduct a standard egg drop experiment, making sure:

  • Students are working together in lab groups. 
  • There is a fixed height ‘drop zone’, each lab group has a set of materials to use, and students understand the general objective.
  • For an extra challenge, assign costs to the materials, and have the students track and minimize cost of their design.

Here is how to transform the experiment to include data collection and engineering design (student worksheet is below):

  • Have students draw a free body diagram and discuss the direction and magnitude of the forces on the egg.
  • Before building anything, students should hypothesize which design factors are important, and draw at least two or three potential design concepts. Students should use force, velocity, time, and acceleration to explain why they think their designs should achieve the expected goal.
  • Have students start building and testing designs. To test a design, attach a PocketLab, turn on the 3 axis accelerometer (detailed instructions below), record the peak force for 3 to 5 trials, calculate the average peak acceleration, range or standard deviation, and calculate average velocity. 
  • Students should compare their design concepts with the data they've collected and explain why the data matches their expected results or not.
  • When lab groups come up with their final design, it’s time to put in the egg and see if the egg can survive the fall.

Egg Drop Experiment - Student Worksheet

You will be given a golden, million dollar egg, and you must build a capsule for the egg that will allow you to drop it from a great height without breaking! If the egg doesn’t break, you will be able to keep it and sell it for a million dollars. If however it breaks, at best you get a free omelet.

Fortunately you will be able to build and test your egg capsule with sensors before dropping the actual egg from the sky. 

The PocketLab sensor you will use for this is the accelerometer. An accelerometer measures instantaneous acceleration in meters per second squared, or g’s. You can design, build, and test several capsules for your egg with the accelerometer and calculate the forces your egg will experience.Then when you have your final and best design, you can put the egg in and be confident you won’t break it.

To be successful, you will have to:

  • Collect and organize data from experimental runs to determine the effectiveness of alternate designs.
  • Analyze quantitative data and identify relationships within the data, including relationships between the design solutions.
  • Make claims supported by data for which characteristics of each design best meet the given criteria.
  • Use data to identify the best features in each design that can be compiled into a new improved design.

Draw a free body diagram and write a prediction to answer the following questions:  What are all the possible factors affecting the forces on the egg when it lands?  What are design changes that can reduce the force on the egg?  Which design changes will likely have the biggest impact?

Measuring Acceleration and Average Velocity with PocketLab

Follow the steps below to set up your PocketLab: 

  • Go to the PocketLab Web App (in a Chrome browser) using the following address: www.thepocketlab.com/app or open up the PocketLab mobile app. 
  • For a 'getting started' video on how to use the PocketLab Web App go here .
  • Click on the "Change Graph" icon. Click "Acceleration".
  • Click on the “Change Data Rate” icon and select the maximum data points per second (50 points/sec for PocketLab Voyager, and 20 points/sec for PocketLab One).

Practice recording data:

  • When ready to drop your capsule, press record to start recording acceleration data.
  • Maximum acceleration is read as the highest point on the graph when the capsule strikes the ground.
  • Note the accelerometer measures in 3 dimensions, X, Y, and Z. The acceleration in each direction is relevant because that is what the egg is experiencing. These all need to be measured and recorded in your trials.
  • Average velocity is calculated by observing the time in seconds (the x axis) the capsule is released and subtracting it from the time the capsule hits the ground, divided by the drop height. Observe the recorded acceleration graph, and you should be able to notice the release time and the impact time - subtract the release time from the record time for total time.

Egg Drop Data Collection

Testing Design Ideas

Each design should be tested in an experimental run to collect data and see if you are matching your design goals:

  • Brainstorm with your lab group on some different design ideas, draw a rough sketch, and explain how each design works using the terms force, mass, velocity, acceleration, and time. 

Pick your first design, document it on the worksheet, and get ready to test.

Testing Your Design:

  • With the PocketLab accelerometer ready to record, place it in your capsule and record 5 trials for each run, and calculate the average maximum acceleration, and range or standard deviation.

Final Test Run and Conclusions:

After running tests with sensor data, you should have an idea of the optimal design for your capsule. Also you probably have an idea how engineers felt leading up to the first manned Apollo mission. There were years of test flights before they were confident enough to launch a human into space ( wikipedia article ). 

Here are some questions to think about before you put your million dollar egg into a capsule and drop it:

  • Were you able to get better data by refining your design? Was it easy? Hard?
  • What design change led to the biggest changes in your data?
  • How does your data compare to other lab groups? Was there a design from another group that impressed you? Why? What was their thought process?
  • Did your trials have a lot of variability? How does that make you feel about your confidence that your design will work the first time?

There is not much you can do now except test your final design. Put your egg in the capsule, and attach the PocketLab as close to the egg as possible so that you can record the actual acceleration that the egg experiences.

Egg Drop Experiment with Data

Egg Drop Project with Printable Recording Sheets

Our annual egg drop project is one of the most anticipated STEM and  science activities of the year at school. Check out this year’s egg drop designs  created by fourth grade students to get some inspiration for your own egg drop ideas and be sure to print out the free printable planning and recording sheets .

STEM Challenge for Kid: Egg Drop Project

Don’t forget to check out all the designs from previous years:

  • Egg Drop Challenge 2016
  • Egg Drop Challenge 2015
  • Egg Drop Challenge 2014
  • Egg Drop Challenge 2013

STEM Challenge for Kid: Egg Drop Project

This post contains affiliate links.

What is the the Egg Drop Project?

Not sure what this popular STEM and STEAM activity is? In the egg drop project, children are challenged to create a contraption using various materials (usually recyclables) to protect a raw egg from a high fall. This physics activity is very common in college and high school classes, but we’ve adapted it for elementary and even preschool ages!

raw eggs for the egg drop challenge

Egg Drop Project 2018

How we structured the egg drop challenge this year.

1. Students are first given the description of the challenge- to protect a raw egg from a high fall, and it’s their job to design some kind of container or contraption to protect that egg using materials brought in from home. There are many variations to the egg drop challenge. This year we decided to not allow cardboard boxes since they always seem to be the go-to material. We wanted to see what other ideas they could come up with instead.

2. They then form groups of 2-3 students (and are also given the option to work independently if they prefer).

3. In groups the students brainstorm ideas for their egg drop contraption and record their final design on the printable planning sheet .

recording their egg drop design on the printable planning sheet

4. They decide as a group who will bring in which materials and write them down as a reminder when they get home. (We also provide additional supplies in the classroom to supplement their materials like string , tape, scissors, various recyclables etc.)

5. The next day, the kids use their materials to build their contraption together.

We had a cat themed contraption made from a plastic bag parachute, straws, tape, paper cups, paper plate and string…

cat themed egg drop contraption for the egg drop challenge

… and others made from bubble wrap and a garbage bag parachute, a birthday cake themed design using lots of cotton balls, and even an eggplant!

egg drop design ideas

6. Each child is then given a printable prediction sheet . As each group presents their design to the class, the other groups record each contraption on the chart and predict whether it will protect an egg or not.

predicting which egg drop contraptions will protect the raw egg from the high fall

7. After all groups have presented their egg drop contraptions to the class, each group is then given a raw egg to put inside their designs. (Many students love to decorate their eggs with Sharpies before placing them inside their designs.)

decorated egg for egg drop project

8. Kids head outside with their contraptions, eggs, and recording sheets on clipboards .

9. This year my husband climbed up on the school roof to drop each contraption.

the egg drop challenge or the egg drop project stem challenge for kids

Each contraption was dropped one at a time and then the egg checked to see if it survived the fall. (The eggplant and cotton ball design worked!)

egg drop design using an eggplant

Kids then recorded whether or not each contraption worked onto their recording sheets.

the egg survived the fall

This STEM project really is an absolute hit with the kids! We often have other classes come out to watch because of the excitement. You can even do this project on a smaller scale with preschool or kindergarten students. No child is too young to design and create!

See More Science Activities!

Be sure to check out our  steam kids book and ebook for even more creative stem and steam ideas.

STEAM kids book

Egg Drop Challenge

license

Introduction: Egg Drop Challenge

Egg Drop Challenge

The Egg Drop Challenge! Dun dun dun...

At my school, our teachers challenged us to build a device that would protect an egg when it was dropped from an 18 foot high balcony. The goal of the challenge was to learn how 3 of our classes (engineering, physics, and algebra) fit together. It's easier to see connections in real life (ish) challenges than on a worksheet.

We started out by getting into groups and assigning roles. I was the team lead, Riana was our builder, and Julianne was our documentarian. We mostly stuck to those roles, but since we only had three people, we helped each other out a lot, especially during the build part.

Step 1: Identifying Needs and Constraints

Identifying Needs and Constraints

We were given a limited list of materials:

  • Hot glue gun
  • Packing peanuts
  • Paper clips
  • Cotton balls
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Rubber bands

Our egg-saving device had to be less than 12" by 12" by 12", and we had one class period to come up with our design and list of materials. We also had 3 more class periods to build the device, one to test it with a plastic Easter egg, and 2 more to make adjustments. Then we would do the final drop.

Step 2: Research the Problem

Research the Problem

After doing some research, we found that there are three main categories of egg-saving devices.

1. The first absorbs the force by putting materials like packing peanuts, cotton, or newspaper around the egg to prevent the egg from having to take much of the force. It is pretty basic, and just involves stuffing a box with packing materials. However, most designs incorporate some aspect of this category.

2. The second minimizes the amount of force that is put on the egg by slowing its descent. This is usually accomplished with balloons or a parachute. We didn't have access to balloons, so if we wanted to use this type of design, we would have to make a parachute out of newspaper.

3. The third design for egg-saving devices uses suspension to direct the force elsewhere. Usually, it works by suspending the egg inside of a container with rubber bands or some other elastic material. This design looked more difficult than the others, but it was by far the coolest looking.

Step 3: Develop and Select a Solution

Develop and Select a Solution

Our group knew right away that we didn't just want to stuff some newspaper in a box and call it a day, so we decided to make our egg-saving device with the third type of design: suspension.

We decided that we would have the egg in a 4" cube with packing peanuts, and that cardboard box would be suspended inside of a 10" cardboard cube by rubber bands from the corners of the little box to the corners of the big box. We used two rubber bands per corner and lined the inside of the big box with packing peanuts, just in case.

Our group knew that this design was going to be fairly difficult, but we felt like it would teach us the most about physics and engineering.

Step 4: Create a Prototype

Create a Prototype

Making the egg-saving device was, as expected, the most difficult part of the challenge. We were given two days to build, which we knew was already going to be tight, but on the first day, we didn't have packing peanuts.

Day one, we started out by making two nets: one for each cube. We weren't able to assemble them until we were ready to suspend them because we wanted to make sure that the rubber bands were as secure as possible. We finshed the nets with about 15 minutes to spare, but until we lined the larger box with the packing peanuts (that weren't there), we couldn't finish.

Day two, we had packing peanuts and worked as quickly as we could to line the larger box. Once we finished, we started working on assembling the boxes with the rubber bands, but we ran out of time. Because the teachers gave us the packing peanuts late and a majority of the groups weren't ready, they gave us one extra day.

On the final day, we were able to finish our project.

Step 5: Test and Evaluate Prototype

Test and Evaluate Prototype

We tested our prototype by dropping it off of our school's balcony. We weighted a plastic egg with rocks to make it closer to the weight of a real egg. The egg was placed in the smaller box, and we pushed it off of the balcony. After, we quickly ran to the box and opened it up to discover...that we had cracked our plastic egg.

The next day, our teachers had us test the prototype with a real egg. Our group already knew the outcome, so we put the egg inside a plastic egg before placing it the egg-saving device. When we opened up the box, we discovered that...the egg survived! We weren't entirely sure why, but we think it's because the weighted egg was too heavy.

Step 6: Improve and Redesign Prototype

Improve and Redesign Prototype

Even though the real egg survived, our team still felt like we should make some improvements to the egg-saving device. It had also taken quite a beating after being thrown off the balcony so many times.

We reglued the packing peanuts on the inside and tightened the rubber bands. Then, we reglued the box. We finished fixing the prototype early, so we added some drawings to the outside.

Step 7: Test and Evaluate Final Design

Test and Evaluate Final Design

It was time for the final drop. We said a prayer and set the egg in the smaller box, hoping that the egg-saving device wouldn't become its final resting place. We pushed the egg off of the balcony, and the landing was so loud that everyone was sure that the egg had shattered. However, when we looked inside, the egg was fine!

We finished up by calculating the egg's momentum, force, and speed, among other things. We created a lab report and presented the project to the rest of the grade. We decided that our design was effective, and we would recommend the Egg Drop Challenge to others.

Recommendations

Kids Hobbit Bed

Make it Resilient

Make it Resilient

Remake It - Autodesk Design & Make - Student Contest

Remake It - Autodesk Design & Make - Student Contest

Books and Bookshelves Contest

Books and Bookshelves Contest

IMAGES

  1. Title: Egg Drop Laboratory Report. General Purpose: Find out how to

    egg drop project lab report

  2. Physics Egg Drop Project

    egg drop project lab report

  3. ️Egg Drop Lab Worksheet Free Download| Gmbar.co

    egg drop project lab report

  4. Egg Drop Activity Lesson Plan

    egg drop project lab report

  5. Egg Drop Experiment Report

    egg drop project lab report

  6. The Amazing Egg Drop Project

    egg drop project lab report

VIDEO

  1. Egg Drop Project Highlights

  2. 1st place Egg Drop project ideas- using SCIENCE

  3. Egg drop project calculations

  4. Science Experiments 06 Egg Drop

  5. EGG DROP

  6. My Egg Drop Test Experience (school project)

COMMENTS

  1. Egg Drop Lab Report

    Exam 1 review word - Spady Students will apply the principles of momentum and impulse to build housing for an egg so that it will survive being dropped from the maximum height possible. In doing so, you should be able to: Explain how momentum and impulse affect a dropped object. Solve for momentum and impact force.

  2. Title: Egg Drop Laboratory Report. General Purpose: Find out how to

    Title: Egg Drop Laboratory Report. General Purpose: Find out how to drop an egg from the second floor of a building without breaking it. Use aerodynamics and low mass to make the egg take the most time possible to fall.

  3. Copy of Egg Drop Lab Report

    1. Includes a specific yet brief listing of the steps necessary for performing the lab. 2. Also includes a labeled diagram of the experimental set-up (if directed). 3. Includes an identification...

  4. Egg Drop Project

    This is the classic egg drop experiment. Students try to build a structure that will prevent a raw egg from breaking when dropped from a significant height. They should think about creating a design that would reduce the amount of energy transferred from potential to kinetic energy on the egg shell.

  5. Egg Drop

    English In this exploration, students design, evaluate, test, and suggest improvements for a container that will protect their precious payload: an egg. The Classic "Egg-Drop" experiment has been a standard in science instruction for many years.

  6. Egg Drop Lab

    Egg Drop Lab Egg Drop Lab Students work in teams to design a container for an egg using provided materials. Students drop their containers, then analyze factors which can minimize force on the egg. Optionally, students can complete a second round of the experiment if time permits.

  7. Egg Drop Project Teaches Engineering Design

    Egg Drop Project Teaches Engineering Design | Lesson Plan Teaching Engineering Design with an Egg Drop Summary Grade Range 6th-8th Group Size 2-3 students Active Time 3-4 hours Total Time 3-4 hours Area of Science Mechanical Engineering Space Exploration Key Concepts force, energy, engineering design Credits Ben Finio, PhD, Science Buddies Overview

  8. PDF EGG DROP

    EGG DROP CONCEPT This experiment is designed to demonstrate the concepts of Newton's second law, acceleration, collision, and resilience. ... Prepare an informal lab report based on the construction and performance of your egg drop apparatus. Consult with your teacher for lab report format. If time allows, redesign the apparatus

  9. PDF The Great Egg Drop

    Lab report was incomplete, failed to address variables and/or had incorrect information Lab report is complete, addresses variables and provides correct information ... Egg Drop Project . Analysis . Please write in complete sentences and be as thorough as possible! 1. What do you think the overall purpose of this project was for?

  10. How to Build an Egg Drop Project: 10 Steps (with Pictures)

    Dispose of or cook one of the eggs. Place the 2 bottom tray 'cups'- one on top of and one the bottom of the second egg and tape shut. 6. Place 'cartoned' egg in the padded egg chamber. Seal the box shut with tape on all four sides. 7. Hold box at the top of the stairs and ask a friend to time and signal you to go.

  11. How to Write a Hypothesis for an Egg Drop Science Project

    By Sarah Meem For a classical science experiment such as the egg drop, it is important to develop a proper hypothesis. A hypothesis is an educated explanation made with limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. Write a hypothesis before beginning the experiment.

  12. The Science Behind the Egg Drop Experiment

    Updated June 27, 2018 By Jennifer Komatsu The Egg Drop is a classic science class experiment for middle school or high school students. Students are given an egg to drop from a high point (such as the roof of the school) onto a hard surface (such as the parking lot). They must design a carrier for the egg to house it during the drop.

  13. Egg Drop Experiment with Data

    Objective You will be given a golden, million dollar egg, and you must build a capsule for the egg that will allow you to drop it from a great height without breaking! If the egg doesn't break, you will be able to keep it and sell it for a million dollars. If however it breaks, at best you get a free omelet.

  14. PDF The Great Egg Drop Project

    The egg drop experiment is perfect for learning about gravity and about how materials interact with one another. The end goal of the experiment is for students to create packaging around an uncooked egg to ensure that the egg can be dropped from a height without breaking. Lesson Background and Concepts:

  15. Protect Your 'Eggstronaut': Build an Egg-Drop Lander

    The egg-drop project is a classic and time-honored tradition in many science classes. The goal is usually to build a device that can protect an egg when dropped from a high location. This activity puts a twist on the classic project, motivated by real-world advances in space exploration.

  16. PDF Egg Drop Project Grade 7

    Egg Drop Project PRE EXPERIMENT ACTIVITIES 1. Research 2. Decide on concept and design 3. Sketch design with labels 4. List of materials required 5. Submit list to Mr. Grant or Mr. Walters for approval 6. After approval, build your container 7. Lab Report Lab Report: POST-EXPERIMENT ANALYSIS In your report, answer these questions: 1.

  17. Egg Drop Project with Printable Recording Sheets

    1. Students are first given the description of the challenge- to protect a raw egg from a high fall, and it's their job to design some kind of container or contraption to protect that egg using materials brought in from home. There are many variations to the egg drop challenge.

  18. Student Guide

    The egg will be dropped from a designated height and allowed to collide with the ground. This is an engineering challenge because it combines physics principles with real building materials and design constraints. It provides you with the opportunity to think about a problem, construct a solution, and evaluate your solution's effectiveness.

  19. Egg Drop Challenge : 7 Steps

    We pushed the egg off of the balcony, and the landing was so loud that everyone was sure that the egg had shattered. However, when we looked inside, the egg was fine! We finished up by calculating the egg's momentum, force, and speed, among other things. We created a lab report and presented the project to the rest of the grade.

  20. Egg Drop Edgenuity Lab Report 1 .pdf

    View Egg Drop Edgenuity Lab Report (1).pdf from CHEM INORGANIC at Plano West Senior H S. Pranav Tonpe 6-11-21 Edgenuity 2021 Egg Drop Lab Report Ideas for Prototype Design Similar to a hot air ... BUS 210 Project One Management Brief Text-Only Version (1).docx. Southern New Hampshire University. BUS 210. 01-02_task (2).docx. Greensboro High Sch ...

  21. Egg Drop Lab Report

    550 Words3 Pages In this egg drop project, a container was built to house one egg and was then dropped at various heights. The purpose of this lab was to find how impact time affected the force with which an object, the egg container, hits another surface as the momentum moves to zero.