How to Reduce the Impact of a Dropping Egg

Soft materials can help reduce the chances of an egg cracking during the experiment.

The egg drop experiment is a common assignment used in junior high and high school physics classes. The object of the experiment is to demonstrate the concepts of acceleration, collision and resilience along with Newton's second law of motion. You will be asked to create a device or wrapping for an egg that will allow the egg to be dropped a certain distance without breaking. There are numerous ways to go about completing this physics project and reducing the impact of the drop. Finding the right method for you involves trial and error.

Things You'll Need

• Cereal
• Plastic bags
• Cardboard
• Styrofoam
• Bubble wrap
• Rock
• Tissue
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber bands
• String
• Straws

Instructions

1. Wrap your egg in bubble wrap. Apply two thin layers of bubble wrap and secure your egg in a small cardboard box. You can use Styrofoam or paper in order to secure the egg in the middle of the box.

2. Use cereal. Place your egg in a small plastic bag. Fill a larger plastic bag with cereal -- such as Rice Krispies. Place the small bag with the egg in it inside the larger cereal-filled bag. The cereal will act to absorb the shock. Place as much cereal in this bag as possible in order to increase the chances of the egg surviving the drop.

3. Pad your egg with a Styrofoam cup. Tape a small rock to the bottom inside of the cup. The rock will help the egg to fall straight down as opposed to on its side. Place two Styrofoam cups on top of the rock and then place your egg in the top cup. Use tissue, paper, bubble wrap or broken up pieces of Styrofoam to secure the egg in the cup. Use a plastic wrap secured with a rubber band to close off the top of the cup.

4. Make an egg parachute. Use tissue, string and straws to create a parachute for your egg to help reduce impact. The parachute should be attached to a small cardboard box filled with shredded paper or tissues that your egg will sit in.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to consider a test run of your experiment in order to ensure success of your device or egg wrapping. You can also get creative and combine different methods to provide your egg with added cushioning.

• If your teacher provides specific instructions, make sure there are no prohibited materials for this project before beginning.

References

• Science-Ideas.com: Egg Drop Project Ideas
• Summer Institute for Engineering and Technology Education: Egg Drop