Egg drop

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by JabrZer0, Mar 1, 2013.

  1. My university's mechanical engineering department (of which I'm a student) is holding an egg drop competition. I already know what I'm making for it, but I'm curious as to what you guys would make. Think outside the box :)

    For anyone who doesn't know, here's how an egg drop works:

    You get an egg
    You build something around it so that it won't break when it hits the ground
    You drop it from really high up (like 4-5 stories)

    so, ideas?
  2. I would surround the egg with a lava wall. Since it's a liquid, I think the egg would be quite well protected. The heat might even incubate it and cause it to hatch.
  3. I would put mine in a box, in a box, in a box, blah blah blah.
  4. Are there any restrictions to the type or amount of materials you can use?

    Most of the ones I've seen either try to slow the fall, cushion the egg, or both. Something I haven't seen, although it's probably been done is using something like a glider. I can see advantages and problems with making it work.

    If you can, please post pictures of your and your classmate's projects here.
  5. The lava would burn the egg shell and the yolk :p

    I think a sandwich bag, with the egg in, along with another sandwich bag with water in, and another with hairgel in would work well. It would need to be assorted correctly to be cushioned fully - but it could work.
  6. i did this in 3rd grade. but we had 10 pieces of paper and about 3 feet of tape. everyone else made parachutes... i just wrapped mine... mine didnt break but some of the parachuted ones did
    rman92011 likes this.
  7. Yeah a parachute is the first thing most people seem to think of, but the idea that you are using your egg as the weight seems like asking for trouble to me.
  8. Yeah, I'm the King of Lava Walls, lava wall physics does as I damn well say.
  9. I would suspend the egg in the middle of a container (Ideally egg-shaped) then fill the container with non-newtonian fluid. On impact, the fluid will apply the pressure to the eggshell equally at all points, and no breaking.
    Squizzel_Boy and JabrZer0 like this.
  10. surround it with jello filled tupperware in layers
  11. I would use a pringles can packed lightly with tissue paper, wrap the egg in tissue until it fits lightly in the tube, fit some cardboard fins at the top of the tube to act as a flight.
  12. Put it in the backside of a chicken and hold it over the edge until it "releases" it. Anytime I've seen a chicken in Minecraft poop an egg from up high the egg just sits and waits fully intact on the ground, and Minecraft is based off real life properties...right?
  13. I did this before, and i used a quart sized yogurt "cup". I filled it half way with sand (because sand is very supportive, and it is very strong in this situation), out the egg in, then filled the rest of it up. Then, on the outside, i glued several bags of giant marshmallows on it. It was still intact after 5 drops.
    rman92011 and PandasEatRamen like this.
  14. this is what I'm doing
  15. Someone get the man some cornstarch. ;)
  16. A) Put the egg in a box with a source of radiation. Connect a radiation detector to a small hammer that will break the egg if radiation is detected. Until the judges open the box, the egg will be simultaneously broken and intact. That way if the egg breaks, you can say that the judges altered the outcome by observing it.
    B) Alternatively, you could just drop the egg. After a certain time, it will be half way to the ground. Half that amount of time later, it will be half way between its previous position and the ground. Since there are an infinite number of points between the drop height and the ground, the egg will always have farther to go. This means the egg will not make contact with the ground, and will stay intact.
    C) Better yet, you could simply drop the egg and will it not to break. Since there are an infinite number of universes, there must be some universe whose laws of physics will cause eggs in this universe not to break if you will it really hard. It's simple statistics.

    Btw, I switched from mechanical engineering to physics just this semester :D Good luck with the project!
    jkjkjk182 and rman92011 like this.
  17. RESULTS: I came in second place behind someone who was 2 inches away from the target (after a 5 story drop).

    Here's what I did:

    I had a solo cup filled with corn starch and water. I poked a hole in the bottom and pulled a string through. I used the string to make sure the egg (which floated) was completely submerged in the mixture. I then duct-taped the cup and covered the top. Finally, I tied a streamer to the top so it fell straight.

    After a 5 story plummet, here's what happened: On impact, the non-Newtonian cornstarch/water mix solidified, supporting the egg. A shockwave ripped through the egg's insides, which was supported by the cornstarch mixture on all sides (because it was tied under the surface). It was about 7 inches away from the target :)

    Pretty good results for an impact probably around 30 mph
  18. Not bad for an idea I had never tried before. No pics?:cool:
  19. I have a video, but I'm too lazy/busy to upload it.
  20. BIG WORDS