Virtual Kids Club: Winter 2021

Save the Eggs!

The Challenge: Using available materials, can you design and build a device that will keep a raw egg intact when dropped from various heights?

Procedure

• Come up with an idea of some type of container to protect an egg from a high fall-- something that can absorb the energy the egg gathers as it accelerates towards the hard surface below.

• Sketching out your plan is a good idea. Download and print this design sheet to help you with this step.

• Build your container and place the egg inside.

• Drop the egg from someplace high. (Be sure it is safe and an adult is with you.)

• After you drop it, look and see if your egg cracked or remained intact. (Remember to wash your hands after touching the raw egg!)

• Record your results. Download and print this recording sheet to help you with this step.

Things to Consider

• Find a good spot from which to make test air drops. Ideally, drop the devices from three different heights such as 3, 6, and even 10 feet if you can do so safely.

• Try "test" drops using a plastic egg, a rock, or something similar to test your design before testing with the raw egg.

Materials

You can use anything you want! Listed below are just some examples of materials:

• cardboard tubes
• newspaper
• old boxes
• paper
• tape
• glue
• rubber bands
• balloons
• baggies/plastic bags
• popsicle sticks
• straws
• feathers
• cotton balls
• packaging materials/bubble wrap
• old t-shirts or rags
• string
• plastic sheeting and towels for clean-ups, as needed

Questions to Think About Afterwards

• What ideas work the best to protect the egg? Why do you think they worked?

• Which ideas looked promising in the design phase, but did not turn out so well? What went wrong?

• How would you improve your design(s) to better protect the egg?

Printables for the Egg Drop Challenge

Find a good book to crack into from our booklist for elementary school students.

Explore more about the Egg Drop Challenge through these links to outside resources:

• Watch how Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters respond to the Egg Drop Challenge.

• Read about the physics of an egg drop.

• Check out all the other experiments you can try at home using everyday materials with Bill Nye.