LAB # 3: EGG DROP

Introduction

The egg drop is a science experiment that challenges students to design and build a structure that
can protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a certain height. The objective is to use the least
amount of materials possible to create a container that will protect the egg from cracking or breaking upon
impact. Thus, this experiment is a fun and engaging way to learn more about physics, and gain a wide
range of skill levels and learning objectives.

Methodology

Materials: 2 leaves of newspaper, 2 eggs, 2m string, 2m tape.

We begin by constructing a DIY newspaper bag to hold the egg. Then, we cut a square piece of
newspaper for the parachute’s canopy and the remaining newspaper will be used to wrap the egg with tape
to secure the egg. Next, we cut four equal lengths of string, each about 15 inches long. Tape one end of
each string to one of the corners of the parachute's canopy. Tie the loose ends of the four strings together
to create a central point, making sure the strings are all the same length. Tie the loose end of the strings to
the DIY newspaper bag holding the egg, making sure it is secure. Lastly, drop the egg with the parachute
attached and observe whether the egg remains intact or cracks upon impact. Since it is by pair, one will
drop the egg from the 2nd floor of the school building and the other one will wait in the ground floor to
see and observe if the egg cracks or broken. If it is not broken, then proceed to drop the egg from the 3rd
and 4th floor of the building.

Results

Distance Did the Egg Break?

2nd floor No
3rd floor No
4th floor Yes

We dropped the parachute from different heights, starting at the 2nd floor of the school building
and increasing by 1 floor each time. The egg did not break until we dropped the parachute from the 4th
floor.

Discussion

In this experiment, Jhayzee (partner) and I decided to build a parachute to protect the egg, since
we all know that parachutes are used to slow down the fall of an object by increasing the air resistance
which reduces the effect of gravity.

The largest height that our egg was able to survive was at the 3rd floor drop. The container was
only partly effective because it didn’t allow the egg to crack the first two times, but cracked the third time.
This means that the parachute technique is able to increase the time of impact because of the air
resistance, decreasing the effect of gravitational force on the egg; however, the third was not protected
enough, and may be due to the way it hit the ground.

Since our egg cracked, I realized that the DIY newspaper bag (container) with an egg inside was
heavier than the canopy of parachute we had constructed since it is small, which also means that there is
less air resistance. Therefore, the parachute’s canopy must be large enough. The larger the parachute, the
more time and air resistance slowing the fall and stopping the egg from breaking. Additionally, when we
drop the egg, the strings that are attached to the newspaper bag pull down in a way that makes the canopy
open to its full size, which creates a larger surface area and more air resistance.

In conclusion, we can assume that with longer time, the more force was on the egg as it hit the
ground. This means that the first two drops, our egg had the most impact time which absorbed the force
when landing. We can conclude the ratio for impact time and force when the egg broke to be inversely
proportional, meaning that higher the impact time, the less force it had (vice versa). In addition, the key to
success in the egg drop experiment is to carefully consider the materials we use and how we arrange
them. It's important to test our design multiple times at different heights to see how it performs, and to
make adjustments as necessary.
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Documentation