Dropping an egg without breaking it can be a challenge, but also a fun experiment to partake in, which can teach kids about gravity and the laws of physics. Using a variety of methods, you can easily drop an egg from up high without cracking its fragile shell. If you want to do this experiment with kids, or students if you are a teacher, learn how you can drop an egg and still keep it intact.
- 1 egg
- Nylon stocking
- 2 rubber bands
- Scissors
- Shoe box with lid
- Duct tape
You can also have students try a variety of different ways to drop an egg without breaking it, such as encasing it in foam, cotton balls, or even making a small parachute to try and gently get the egg to the ground. Students can also try dropping the egg from different heights, with a variety of methods, and record their results.
Put a raw egg in your nylon stocking. Take two rubber bands and tie them around the stocking on either end of your egg, about two inches from the egg.
Cut off any excess ends of your stocking, about two inches from the areas you’ve tied off. You basically want an egg in the center with two inches of space from each tied off area, and two inches of excess stocking past each rubber band.
Take a shoebox and remove the lid. On either end of your shoebox, the small sides, cut small holes about 2 inches down from the opening, to tie off your nylon stocking.
Take one end of your stocking-egg contraption and tie it off around one of the holes you have cut, then stretch your stocking across the shoebox to the other hole and tie it off. Your end result will be that the egg is suspended in the middle of the shoebox not touching the bottom of it.
Use duct tape to tape your lid back on, and try dropping your shoe box from up high, say 10 feet. Your egg should still be intact after the drop.
Things You'll Need
Tips
Tips
- You can also have students try a variety of different ways to drop an egg without breaking it, such as encasing it in foam, cotton balls, or even making a small parachute to try and gently get the egg to the ground.
- Students can also try dropping the egg from different heights, with a variety of methods, and record their results.
About the Author
Amy Davidson is a graduate from the University of Florida in Gainesville, with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She also writes for local papers around Gainesville doing articles on local events and news.