Table of Contents
What is the physics behind the egg drop experiment?
The cup drop illustrates the transfer of potential energy to kinetic energy. The potential energy from the eggs transfers into kinetic energy after an outside force (gravity) acts upon the egg.
How does Newton’s 3rd law apply to egg drop?
Newton’s third law states that for every action there is a opposite and equal reaction. Our egg drop project demonstrates this by there being a simultaneous reaction but in the opposite direction, so when you drop the egg and it lands, an upward force will act on it.
What forces are acting on an egg drop?
A falling object (egg) has a downward force acting on it due to gravity. Air resistance acting on the falling egg results in an upward force, and these 2 forces oppose each other.
How does Newton’s second law relate to egg drop?
This law means that if the forces acting on a falling egg are equal, it will remain in its current state of motion. If a force greater than those acting on the egg is applied, it will accelerate.
What type of collision is an egg drop?
Elastic Collision BUT: Air resistance becomes negligible when the object falls at a constant speed and is no longer accelerating, also called terminal velocity.
How does gravity affect the egg drop project?
Gravity causes an object to fall to Earth when dropped. Drop an egg from eye level so that it breaks. When the egg hits the ground with a given force, the ground exerts the same force back on the egg. The faster the egg falls, the greater this force is.
How does inertia affect an egg drop?
object in motion will stay in motion in the same direction and with the same speed unless acted upon by an outside force. In this case, the egg stays at rest until the plate is moved, allowing gravity to take over!
What is the purpose of an egg drop project?
Purpose: To explore concepts of momentum and collision by developing a container to lessen the force of impact when an egg is dropped from a high place.
How is energy transferred in an egg drop?
An egg raised above the ground has potential energy due to the force of gravity. When dropped, the egg’s potential energy is converted into the kinetic energy of motion.
What makes an egg drop successful?
Ensure that you have enough padding in the box to cover the egg evenly on all sides. When the box hits the ground, the force will cause the box to crush, which absorbs much of the shock of the fall. The force is also evenly distributed throughout and absorbed by the cushioning material.
How is momentum used in an egg drop?
Momentum change is the mass multiplied by the velocity change. You have just determined that the egg dropped from 5 meters has the greater velocity change. And since the two eggs have the same mass, it is the egg dropped from 5 meters that will have the greater momentum change.
What is the independent variable in an egg drop experiment?
The independent variable in all of this was the speed of the egg and the impact time of the egg, while the dependent variable was force. The controls are the materials used and the mass of both the container and egg.
What are the best materials for an egg drop?
- Raw egg, or other payload that needs protecting.
- Container, like a cardboard tube, cup, box, etc.
- External protection materials, like balloons, rubber bands, craft sticks, straws, etc.
- Internal padding, like fabric, packing materials, paper, etc.
- Pen or pencil.
- Paper.
- Tape.
- Scissors.
Is energy conserved in an egg drop?
At the end of the drop, the egg and rubber band system now possess less gravitational potential energy, no kinetic energy (it is not moving) and a lot of elastic potential energy due to the stretched rubber bands. This illustrates the Law of Conservation of Energy.
How can an egg survive a 100 foot drop?
How does acceleration relate to an egg drop?
When dropped, the egg is accelerated by gravity. When the air resistance (the force experienced when placing one’s hand out in a strong wind), which increases with increasing velocity, equals gravity, the egg’s velocity will remain constant. This velocity is known as terminal velocity.
What is the velocity of an egg falling?
What is the speed of gravity; how fast would an unprotected egg fall? Gravity is the force that attracts mass towards the center of the earth or other large planetary body. The speed of gravity is about 9.8 meters per second. An unprotected egg would fall at about 10.93 meters per second.
How can you control the forces that cause the egg to break?
How can you control the forces that cause the egg to break? Gravity cannot be controlled, but it can be contradicted by air friction. To control air friction, surface area can be increased, as done by the fabric surrounding the box. Wind can be dealt with by avoiding it, or making the model stable.
Which will cause the ground to experience a larger force during the fall the egg surviving or the egg breaking?
Answer 1: If the force of the egg striking the floor or ground is greater than the force that the egg shell can exert on itself to keep its shape, the egg will break. Some eggs are stronger than others, depending on how thick the shell is.
What is the law of inertia in physics?
1. Newton’s First Law of Motion (Inertia) An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
What will protect an egg when dropped?
Possibilities include balloons, popcorn, packing peanuts, wads of paper or cereal puffs. Encase the egg in any of these inside a paper or plastic bag, a sock or a stocking. If you have any bubble wrap around the house, wrapping the egg in several layers of bubble wrap should also provide a good cushion.
How much force does it take to break an egg vertically?
The average load to break the eggs when standing up was 53 Lbs. On their side, an average of 90 Lbs was required. This makes sense because eggs are flatter on their side, which allows more of the platen/foam to contact the shell, helping distribute the force across a larger area.
Why does an egg not break when dropped on grass momentum?
When the egg hits the ground the forces of the impact are distributed around the shell so it does not break.
How do you drop an egg without breaking it science project?
To drop an egg without breaking it, wrap the egg in wet paper towels and place it in a plastic bag of puff rice cereal. Fill 4 small bags with puffed cereal too, then put all the bags into 1 large container. You can also wrap the egg in packing material, like bubble wrap, packing peanuts, or inflated plastic packets.