I need some help with a egg drop project for physics, any ideas?

Something like this is what immediately comes to my mind.

Use your teacher as the target. I guarantee he will do his best to prevent it from breaking.

well, i like the first idea but….that uses about 100 straws

wrap the egg with straws and fix the straw with tape. that way the tape will not attach to the egg

Get some eggs and try out different configurations. Nothing like getting to splat eggs without getting in trouble for it.

I would try to configure a suspension/shock absorption system. Some straws for cushion and others for structure.

I wonder if you couldn’t heat the straws with a lighter or something and then use a bike air pump to try to get them to inflate a bit like a balloon. Once you have lots of puffed up straws, you could wrap them around the egg like a cocoon and use the tape to hold them into place.

well, we have to do this at school, so a lighter isnt very likely

This is simple.

Arrange the straws in the shape of a narrow funnel (or cone). Tape the bottom of the straws for a closed end. When the egg drops, the funnel will spread acting as a shock absorber and thereby dissipating the energy. The egg will end up at the bottom by the tape, and the straws will be spread out like spokes on a bicycle wheel.

but what about the open end? couldn’t the egg fall out? and secondly couldn’t the egg roll off it and crack?

Make a little box with the straws, then put the egg in there and make a top so that the egg is closed up and secure in there.

ive tried the box, and tetrahedron, and they cracked both times… right now im trying to make a box frame with straws, and then makeing cross beams insiide where i can make a “basket” and the tape the basket to the beams….i cant believe we have 24 hours for this….ridiculous

Find some Tempur-Pedic memory foam stuff and just wrap the hecccckkkk out of it.

can’t use anything else but straws and tape

Egg Drop Soup It won’t win you a science prize, but it’s pretty tasty.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies I like your idea but how would you make it stand up?

I hate to say the obvious here, but the purpose of an egg drop contest is for the person to design their own system. Basically you’re asking people to do your homework.

@jdogg

The open end is at the top. That’s what you drop the egg into. It’s a very narrow opening barely fit to receive the egg. The bottom end is closed, and as the egg falls through the straws spread out and friction slows the egg falling.

@faye

Wrap the tape an inch or more from the bottom of the straws. Then flange them outward to create a foot. The end result should look like a small footed coned flower vase with a small opening. After the egg drops, the top part would spread out like a flower or maybe flatten more like bicycle spokes.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Sounds good and the flange could be taped to the floor.

I did it! I made the same thing as lilikoi linked but i made a cube instead! I am so excited!

I’d just find an egg with a harder shell…like an Emu. Lolol

No one specified WHAT kind of egg…trust me, Emu eggs are virtually indestructable. hahaha

@faye Right-O!

Plus the top end could be longer by inserting straw within straw, thus making the drop point deeper.

@jdogg The reason why the soccer ball shaped one is a good design is because the outer shell of straws will take the brunt of the impact with the egg centered in the middle not actually hitting the ground. Note that the ‘basket’ in the middle holding the egg is suspended w/ some tape. None of the straw supports actually lead directly to it, because that would lead to a transfer of the force back to the egg. I think something along these lines (you could simply the shape to reduce # of straws required) – you’ll have to experiment – will be ideal. If you just wrap the egg in straws, the egg will absorb a lot more energy from the impact.

Okay, I wrote all that and then you figured it out. Good for you! Well done.

thank you everyone! I was clueless, and now im sure im gonna get an A+ :)

Good luck and great job!

well i guess it would help if I read the question correctly. I’d make the smallest, densest triangle i could. triangles are strong.

Go rogue and use a huge box full of pillows, packing peanuts and 5 rolls of duct tape.

Go for the memory foam! lolo

I’ve heard that popcorn works pretty well. Can you use that? And I mean real popcorn, not packing peanuts, but plain old popcorn that you pop. Not microwave popcorn, no butter. Naked popped popcorn.

I realise you’ve already done it, but I’ll add my idea anyway.

Do the straws and tape have to fall with the egg? You should be able to create a suspension structure somewhat like a trampoline that will give way under the egg and lower it to the ground slowly.