Egg Drop Challenge USU Physics Day at Lagoon

Egg Drop Challenge USU Physics Day at Lagoon Amanda Otterstrom, JR Dennison, Phillip Lundgreen, and Achal Duhoon

Can you design a contraption to protect a raw egg from a high fall, using only materials you have on hand? Before you get started let's look at the science behind an egg breaking. Look! The egg’s mass is 58 grams!

Observe an Egg Breaking in Slow Motion • Watch the video youtu. be/LS 8 WCUEijo. I • Answer the questions on the next 2 slides.

What did you observe… Before the egg hits the surface? After the egg breaks? • What is the egg doing before it hits the surface? • What is the egg doing after it hits the surface and is done breaking? • What three things can we measure during this time? • What can we calculate during this time?

What did you observe… When the egg hits the surface? • What is the difference between the measurements or calculations from before and after the egg breaks? • Why do you think the egg breaks?

Observe an Egg NOT Breaking in Slow Motion • Watch the video youtu. be/g. Y 8 HGbe. Jlz 0 • Answer the questions on the next 2 slides.

What did you observe… Before the egg hits the surface? After the egg is done bouncing? • What is the egg doing before it hits the surface? • What is the egg doing after it hits the surface and is done bouncing? • What three things can we measure during this time? • What can we calculate during this time?

What did you observe… When the egg hits the surface? • What is different in this video? • What is something we can measure that has a different value in this video than the previous video? (Both eggs were dropped from the same height of 1 meter) • Why doesn’t the egg to break?

Putting it together • The things we can measure are distance, time, and mass. • From these measurements we can calculate speed(velocity), acceleration and force. • The force of the egg hitting the surface is equal to the mass times the acceleration of the egg, or the change in velocity over the change in time. F=ma or F=m(Δv/Δt) • The only measurable difference between the two videos is the time it takes for the egg to change speeds from “really fast” right before it hits the surface to the point where it stops moving.

Observe one more thing • Watch the videos again • Egg that breaks youtu. be/LS 8 WCUEijo. I • Egg that doesn’t break youtu. be/g. Y 8 HGbe. Jlz 0 • What moves when the egg hits the surface… • For the egg that breaks? • For the egg that doesn’t break?

Energy and motion • When the egg is held up (1 meter above the surface) it has potential energy. • What is the potential energy in this example? Ep= mgh • When we release the egg the energy changes into motion or kinetic energy. EK = ½ mv 2 • What is the velocity of the egg right before it hits the surface? EP=EK • The motion we can see during the collision shows us where the energy is going. If it stays with the egg, the egg will break. If it has an easier way of dissipating, the egg wont break. • What is the force on the egg when Δt = 0. 25 seconds and when Δt = 1 second? F=m(Δv/Δt)

• Design and build a contraption to protect an egg from a high fall. • Use only material you have on hand. Egg Drop Challenge • Have a parent or guardian help you drop it from a high place. • Be safe. • Check your egg, did it survive the fall? • Share your experience, pictures, and videos on social media using the hashtag #USUphysicsday

Things to consider… • What do I need to consider to successfully protect an egg from being dropped from a high place? • Are there different ways I could design a contraption to protect the egg? • What materials could I use? • Do I understand what I just learned? If not, should I go through the lesson again? • Am I applying what I learned to my contraption design? • Do I need to change what I had planned so I will be successful at protecting the egg? • If unsuccessful, what is one thing I could change to make this more successful? • If unsuccessful, is there another design that would work? • Did I learn anything from this experience?