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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. 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)
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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)
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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
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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.
Community Q&A
- 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
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- Science Fair Project Ideas for Kids, Middle & High School Students ⋅
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.
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- Houghton Mifflin's Project-Based Learning Space: Project 3: The Egg-Drop Experiment: A Hands-On Investigative Activity
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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.
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Egg Drop Experiment with Data
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.
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 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 .
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
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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!
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 .
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…
… 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!
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.
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.)
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.
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!)
Kids then recorded whether or not each contraption worked onto their recording sheets.
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!
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Egg Drop Challenge
Introduction: 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 ...
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.