How To Drop An Egg Without Breaking It Using Toothpicks

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The egg drop is a classic science experiment, but it tin can nevertheless be pretty intimidating if you've never successfully completed it. To driblet an egg without breaking information technology, you lot demand to find a manner to minimize the force of the touch and its effects on the delicate eggshell. The all-time ways to exercise this are to cushion the egg while besides changing the mode information technology drops and the fashion it lands.

i

Go a bowl. It needs to be big enough to put an egg and water in.
2

Pour some h2o into the bowl. Not likewise much, only well-nigh half way full.

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3

Add ice to the mix. Make sure the water ice is in modest chunks.
4

Put the egg in the ice water.
five

Leave it to set for 10 minutes
6

Take it out.
seven

Drib it- it won't break!

ane
Apply cereal. Surrounding the egg with cereal can be a surprisingly effective fashion of distributing the force of the bear upon. For all-time results, choose a "puff" type cereal over something with flakes. These puffs contain a decent amount of air and brand meliorate cushions.^[1]
- Wrap the egg around with wet paper towels.
- Place the egg in one plastic handbag and surround it with a puffed rice cereal.
- Fill four other small bags with the same cereal but practise not put any eggs inside.
- Place all the bags inside of a larger resealable bag. Brand sure that the bag with the egg in it is in the middle and all the other numberless are packed around it from all sides.
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Wrap the egg in packing cloth. Packing material is designed for the specific purpose of protecting delicate items from bumps and blows. If you have plenty of information technology, this material tin can also protect a raw egg from breaking after a nasty tumble. ^[two]
- The simplest fashion to arroyo this is to get heavy-duty bubble wrap. Carefully wind the bubble wrap around the egg anywhere from two to five times, creating a thick cushion. Necktie the ends of the bubble wrap with safety bands to forbid the egg from slipping out through the summit or lesser.
- If you do not have bubble wrap but do take other packing materials, like packing peanuts, inflated plastic packing packets, packing paper, cotton balls, or crumpled newspaper, you lot tin can use these materials to absorber the egg, likewise. Spread a thick layer of your called packing textile inside a box that is at least four to eight times larger than the egg. You should use plenty material to fill the box halfway. Place the egg in the center of this cushion, and then gently cover it with enough packing material to make full the rest of the box. Shut the box and seal it with tape before the driblet.
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Try marshmallows or popcorn. These airy, soft foods can be used like cereal or packing materials. The bones idea is to surround the egg with plenty of a cushion using these foods to reduce the force of the touch the egg faces once it lands.^[three]
- The exact container you use does non necessarily make a difference, but there are a few things you should go along in mind. Brand sure that the container is large enough and so that you can cushion the egg around all sides, but in instance the egg lands on its side instead of on the tiptop or lesser of the container. You also need to make sure that you have enough marshmallows, popcorn, or similar soft nutrient to fill the container completely. If not, the egg might move around inside.
- Marshmallows and popcorn both work so well because they incorporate and so much air. You lot could endeavour other types of food, likewise, but the food y'all choose should either exist very soft or very airy.
- Fill the container halfway with marshmallows. Place the egg in the center of your marshmallow nest, and so carefully fill the rest of the container with marshmallows, likewise. Brand certain that the entire container is filled but do not press downwards on the egg as you pack the container.
4
Let the egg bladder . If you can continue the egg floating in water during the drop and upon impact, the force of the impact should distribute itself evenly throughout the water and have very trivial issue on the egg itself.
- Place the egg within of a tin can can, plastic box, or other durable container. This container should be well-nigh five times every bit large equally the egg.
- Fill up the rest of the container with water and add together a scattering of salt. The egg will float better in salt water than in normal water.^[four] Make sure that the entire container is filled with water and that it is well sealed before you drop it.

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Create a cradle. Suspend the egg in the eye of a box or like container using a pair of nylon stockings or panty hose.^[5] Stockings are very elastic and soft. Equally the container holding the egg strikes to ground, the stockings should give slightly, allowing the egg to come to a stop without that end being quite so sudden. Equally a event, the force on the beat is lessened, making it less probable to crack.
- Cut off 1 leg of the stockings. Identify the egg within this leg at the center of stocking. Tie the egg in place using rubber bands.
- Tightly pull the stocking leg diagonally through a box, extending information technology from one upper corner to one bottom corner. The egg should be positioned in the center of the box. Staple or otherwise agree the stocking in identify.
- Note that your box can exist made of most whatsoever fabric. It could be a cardboard or plastic box, or y'all could fifty-fifty construct a box frame out of metal apparel hangers.
2
Weigh down the bottom of your container. You tin place the egg at the superlative of a cushioned container instead of placing it in the center equally long as you lot have a heavy enough weight to control the direction the container falls in. The easiest way to do this is to use a stone and styrofoam cups.
- Identify i heavy stone in the bottom of 1 styrofoam loving cup. The rock must be heavier than egg.
- Place six more than styrofoam cups inside the bottom cup, on top of the stone.
- Place the egg inside the meridian cup.
- Fit i more cup gently on top of the egg to secure the egg's position.
- Tape the cups together along the sides so that the container will not fall autonomously during the fall.
- If the stone is heavy enough, the container should autumn rock-side downwards and egg-side upwardly. The styrofoam cups should also help cushion the accident.
3
Make a parachute. If you tin design a parachute for the container holding your egg, you can reduce the velocity at which the egg drops. Since the egg is falling at a slower speed, the force of the touch on will exist much less once it hits the ground. Less forcefulness ways that your egg might have a run a risk at survival.^[6]
- There are a few different parachutes you can try, but one of the easiest materials to apply is a plastic shopping bag. Place the egg in a box, forth with whatever cushioning you lot may choose to utilise. Adhere a large plastic grocery pocketbook to the elevation of the box using tape or a stapler. Make sure that the handles are almost the sides of the box so that enough air can get inside the bag as the box drops.
- When you drop the box, make sure that the side y'all attach the parachute to is at the top. This will allow air to fill the bag and cause it to open up up, reducing the speed of the descent as a result.

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1
Catch the egg in a cyberspace. An egg shatters when dropped on the ground because massive deceleration within a small distance creates a significant amount of force. Communicable the egg in a net of sorts tin can increase the deceleration fourth dimension and reduce the overall force.
- If you cannot use an actual prophylactic net, a uncomplicated alternative is to apply a linen sheet. Pale the canvass at to the lowest degree ane foot (thirty.5 cm) in a higher place the footing. When you drop the egg, make sure that it lands every bit close to the centre of the sheet equally possible.
- Similarly, y'all could too give the egg a cushion to fall into instead of a net. The principle at work here is the same. Make full a big, broad box with a thick layer of heavy-duty bubble wrap or similar packing materials. When you drop the egg, make certain that it lands on the cushion.
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Cull a grassy location. If you can choose the landing site, opt for a grassy location instead of a concrete sidewalk or parking lot. Grass and soil are naturally softer than concrete or stone, so the forcefulness of the impact will automatically be much smaller.
- For fifty-fifty meliorate results, driblet the egg later a good rainstorm and then that the ground is very soft. Try to avoid dropping the egg during a drought, since soil tends to be much harder and more firmly packed in these conditions.

Add New Question

Question

Would an egg pause if I put tons of cotton balls around it?

Putting an egg between two numberless of cotton fiber balls tied or rubberbanded together would work.
Question

If I put an egg in a water canteen and put the water bottle in a box, would it break?

In that location's a practiced chance it volition. You need something that will absorb the shock, similar chimera wrap.
Question

How can information technology work if I only have bubble wrap?

Wilfredo Villatoro

Community Answer

If you have but a little bit if chimera wrap, there is a small chance it could work. Make it cushioned and airy, with a lot of bubble wrap, then the egg'south chances of survival will increase a lot!
Question

Would the egg suspension if it were dropped in a Tupperware container?

If the egg was in the container with nothing else, information technology would suspension for sure. If the egg was encased in something that protected it and captivated the daze of the drop (like jello or peanut butter), it would probably do okay.
Question

How can the cereal help the egg?

At that place is typically lots of air trapped within of cereal, and so it will help absorber the egg's fall, sort of like packaging peanuts.
Question

In class, nosotros are using egg cartons as our container. We are taping two egg cups together and putting the egg inside. Will this work?

It's ever skilful to requite your protector "shock absorbers" to lessen the blow to the egg itself. A difficult external frame will transfer all the free energy through information technology and break the egg, and then it'south best to utilise something with a flake of bounce. Calculation lawn tennis balls on the side of the frame is one way to do this. Inside the frame, adding plenty of padding, like cotton wool, is also a good style to make sure the egg doesn't bounciness around as well much inside its compartment
Question

Volition cotton fiber work with a plastic baggie to not suspension a raw egg?

It might provide some cushioning, merely you will accept to use a lot of cotton wool.
Question

Volition using cotton balls and paper help?

No, they will not. This is considering the cotton fiber balls and newspaper will not absorb the force when the egg hits the ground.
Question

How practise I go far secure with only straws and duct tape?

You can record the straws around the the egg and brand a good frame that manner.
Question

Would a thick cloth work?

On its own, a thick cloth wouldn't be enough, most likely.

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Mix as many of these elements together as possible for the egg drop. Slowing down egg down equally it descends while distributing the force through cushioning can protect the fragile vanquish more effectively than either method can on its own. If yous can change the surface the egg is dropped onto equally well, the egg will exist fifty-fifty safer.
If you lot are taking office in a grade project or formal egg drib contest, review the rules thoroughly and follow them when designing your technique.
Drop the egg lightly. When dropping the egg, concur it out over the surface and simply let go. Exercise not toss information technology downwardly every bit you drop information technology since this will add more strength and speed to the egg'south descent, making it more probable to crack upon touch on. The top will increase the touch if the egg drop if it doesn't have a absorber inside.

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Things You'll Need

1 raw egg
Small resealable plastic bags
Large resealable plastic bags
Puffed rice cereal
Nylon stockings
Scissors
Rubber bands
Clothing hangers
Box
Stapler
Styrofoam cups
Tape
Stone
Heavy-duty chimera wrap
Packing peanuts
Inflated plastic packing packets
Cotton assurance
Packing paper
Newspaper
Marshmallows
Popcorn
Plastic shopping bag or like parachute
Linen sheet
Stakes
H2o
Table salt

About This Article

Commodity Summary X

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 likewise, then put all the bags into 1 large container. You can also wrap the egg in packing textile, like chimera wrap, packing peanuts, or inflated plastic packets. Then, put the wrapped egg in a box and seal it shut. Other blusterous materials, like marshmallows and popcorn, are too bully for packing an egg to ensure information technology won't break. To learn how to modify the landing site so the egg won't interruption, keep reading!

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