PHYSIC S EGG DROP EXPERIMENT FORCES GRAVITY THIS

PHYSIC S EGG DROP EXPERIMENT

FORCES • GRAVITY: THIS IS THE FORCE THAT PULLS OBJECTS TOWARDS EACH OTHER. ON OUR PLANET, OBJECTS ARE PULLED TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, WHICH CAUSES THEM TO FALL DOWNWARDS. • DRAG: OFTEN THIS IS ALSO CALLED “AIR RESISTANCE. ” DRAG IS WHEN FORCES ARE ACTING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE MOTION OF AN OBJECT. • IMPACT: IMPACT IS THE HIGH FORCE (OR SHOCK) APPLIED OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WHEN 2 OR MORE OBJECTS COLLIDE. THE EFFECT DEPENDS ON THE RELATIVE VELOCITY (OR SPEED) OF THE TWO OBJECTS TO ONE ANOTHER.

NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION 1. AN OBJECT AT REST TENDS TO REMAIN AT REST AND AN OBJECT IN MOTION TENDS TO CONTINUE MOVING IN A STRAIGHT-LINE AT CONSTANT SPEED, UNLESS AN OUTSIDE FORCE ACTS UPON IT. 2. FORCE = MASS TIMES ACCELERATION. 3. FOR EVERY ACTION, THERE IS AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION.

NEWTON’S FIRST LAW • THE EGG WILL NOT FALL UNLESS IT IS DROPPED (AN OBJECT AT REST). WHILE AT REST, THE EGG HAS POTENTIAL ENERGY. THE EGG GAINS POTENTIAL ENERGY AS IT IS TRANSPORTED TO A HIGHER ELEVATION FOR PERFORMING THE EGG DROP EXPERIMENT. • ONCE DROPPED, IT WILL FALL. THIS DEMONSTRATES KINETIC ENERGY. • IT WILL BE ACTED UPON BY THE FOLLOWING FORCES: • GRAVITY: WHICH WILL PULL IT TOWARD THE EARTH AND CAUSE ITS SPEED TO ACCELERATE. • DRAG: DEPENDING UPON HOW THE EGG PROTECTOR IS BUILT, THIS WILL VARY, BUT DRAG WILL SLOW THE FALL OF THE EGG DOWN. DRAG DOES NOT DESTROY KINETIC ENERGY, BUT INSTEAD CREATES FRICTION (BETWEEN THE AIR AND THE OBJECT CREATING DRAG) AND AS A RESULT TRANSFERS THE ENERGY INTO HEAT ENERGY (ANOTHER FORM OF KINETIC ENERGY). • IMPACT: ULTIMATELY, THE EGG (AND ITS PROTECTOR) WILL HIT THE GROUND. THE SIZE AND AMOUNT OF THE IMPACT WILL DEPEND UPON THE SPEED WITH WHICH THE EGG AND PROTECTOR WERE FALLING.

NEWTON’S SECOND LAW • THE EGG WILL ACCELERATE BASED ON THE PULL OF GRAVITY. HOW MUCH IT ACCELERATES DEPENDS ON THE HEIGHT FROM WHICH THE EGG WAS DROPPED AND THE MASS OF THE EGG AND PROTECTOR. FORCE WILL INCREASE WITH LARGER MASSES AND HIGHER HEIGHTS.

NEWTON’S THIRD LAW • THE EGG WILL HIT THE GROUND. IT WILL EXERT SOME AMOUNT OF FORCE ON THE GROUND WHEN IT HITS (THE IMPACT FORCE). THE GROUND WILL, IN TURN, EXERT THAT SAME AMOUNT OF FORCE ON THE EGG.

FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS • WHAT IS THERMODYNAMICS? • THE BRANCH OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE THAT DEALS WITH THE RELATIONS BETWEEN HEAT AND OTHER FORMS OF ENERGY Ø ENERGY CANNOT BE CREATED OR DESTROYED. • THE POTENTIAL ENERGY THE EGG HAS WHEN IT IS AT REST IS CONVERTED INTO KINETIC ENERGY AS IT FALLS BECAUSE OF THE FORCE OF GRAVITY. ENERGY CAN BE TRANSFERRED FROM ONE KIND TO ANOTHER, BUT IT IS NEVER DESTROYED. WHEN THE EGG HITS THE FLOOR, THE KINETIC ENERGY IS TRANSFERRED AGAIN, THIS TIME TO THE EGG AND THE PACKAGING MATERIALS USED IN BUILDING THE EGG PROTECTOR.

HOW IS AN EGG DROP RELEVANT TO LIFE?

• IN THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY, SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS CONTINUE TO FIND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO ABSORB ENERGY AND REDUCE IMPACT FORCES. • SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS ARE ALWAYS WORKING ON WAYS TO REDUCE THE EFFECT OF IMPACTS. FOR EXAMPLE, NASA HAS SEVERAL DESIGNS TO REDUCE IMPACTS WHEN SENDING PROBES TO MARS.

WHAT THE OBJECTIVE IN BUILDING THE EGG PROTECTOR? MISSION: TO CONSTRUCT A STRUCTURE CAPABLE OF PROTECTING AN EGG DROPPED FROM A SIGNIFICANT HEIGHT USING THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MATERIALS POSSIBLE. 1. MAXIMIZE DRAG. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SLOW DOWN THE FALL OF THE EGG PROTECTOR? 2. MINIMIZE IMPACT. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP “SOAK UP” SOME OF THE IMPACT ENERGY SO IT ALL DOESN’T END UP GOING INTO (AND BREAKING) THE EGG?

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS • LAYOUT OF THE STRUCTURE • MAKING THE STRUCTURE FIRM • CUSHIONING THE EGG • SLOWING DOWN THE STRUCTURE • LENGTH OF THE FALL • MATERIALS • CUSHIONING THE FALL OF THE STRUCTURE

ALLOWED MATERIALS ü STRAWS ü PAPERCLIPS ü RUBBER BANDS ü TAPE ü BALLOONS ü GROCERY BAG ü FIVE POPSICLE STICKS ü FEATHERS ü SHOEBOX ü ONE PLASTIC JAR ü TEN MARSHMALLOWS ü GLUE ü PAPER ü YARN ü NEWSPAPER- CAN BRING IN UP TO 5 SHEETS OF PAPER ü TEN COTTON BALLS ü TEN COTTON SWABS ü CARDBOARD TUBES ü ONE CUP ü ONE SOCK ü TWO SHEETS OF ALUMINUM FOIL ü ONE SPONGE

PLANNING AND MATERIALS • YOUR PLAN MUST BE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED. • CHOOSE YOUR MATERIALS AND RATIONALIZE THEIR FIT WITH THE DESIGN. • SKETCH AND LABEL YOUR DESIGN. • BEGIN CONSTRUCTION.