The Little Tinkerer

Engineering Egg Drop Challenge!

Goal/Objective: Design a carrier for a raw egg that will prevent it from breaking when dropped from 10 feet high.

Materials:

Raw egg

Newspaper

A ladder or second story window

Timer

Scale

Pick some of the following materials to use to construct the carrier (less materials=more challenging):

Cardboard

Cotton

Toilet paper

Socks

Glue

Straws

Plastic bags

Balloons

Masking tape

Activity Instructions:

1. Only use the materials listed above to construct a carrier.
2. Time yourself! (Try to make it in 10 minutes on your first try)
3. If you have a scale, weigh what you’ve built. Eventually, try to make your package lightweight and strong.
4. Cover the ground with newspaper just in case your first couple drops do not end with the egg in perfect condition.
5. Goodluck and don’t be afraid to get creative and have some fun!

Some questions to think about:

What forces are acting on the egg as its falling?

If your design did not succeed in keeping the egg from breaking, how would you change it?

Remember to try again if it doesn’t workout the first time! And, if it does work the first time, think about how you can improve your egg carrier now that you have tested your first one.

Bonus: See how lightweight you can make your egg carrier. Also see how high you can drop the egg from without it breaking.