Designing a Winning Egg Drop Project: Tips and Tricks for Success

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on innovative designs for an egg drop project, emphasizing constraints such as no parachutes and limited use of commercial packing materials. Successful designs include a cube made of popsicle sticks with a suspended egg, a chute made from a coat hanger and pantyhose, and a foam structure with a hatch for easy egg retrieval. The use of cushioning materials like balloons and soft fabrics is highlighted as critical for impact absorption. These strategies have proven effective in various test scenarios, including drops from significant heights.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics principles related to impact and force absorption
  • Familiarity with materials such as foam, rubber bands, and lightweight structures
  • Knowledge of design constraints and requirements for engineering projects
  • Experience with hands-on construction and prototyping techniques
NEXT STEPS
  • Research techniques for creating impact-absorbing structures using foam and soft materials
  • Explore the physics of free fall and impact forces to optimize egg drop designs
  • Investigate alternative materials for cushioning, such as balloons or soft fabrics
  • Learn about design iteration and prototyping methods for engineering projects
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for students, educators, and hobbyists involved in engineering challenges, particularly those focused on creative problem-solving and hands-on design projects.

youphfan
I have a younger cousin who needs suggestions for an egg drop project. He will be dropping an egg from a certain distance (not sure how high, but not too high), and he has to build a device that will prevent it from breaking.

The requirements are that there are no parachutes, it cannot be more than 35 inches in any direction, it cannot consist primarily of commercial packing, duct tape etc. (although those materials may be used, just only as a small part of the design), and he has to be able to insert/remove the egg without dissasembling the entire device.

Can anyone help me (him) out? Thanks in advance.
 
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how about a pillow?
 
In junior high my school did the egg drop. our teachers got to drop eggs out of a helecopter. If i remember correctly, I did the following:

I made a cube out of popsickle sticks. I suspended the egg, wraped in those plastic bubbles, in the middle of the cube with rubber bands going to the 4 corners.

The egg survived.

Pan
 
I'd make some kind of "chute" for it, maybe out of some coat hanger and panty hose, or something else elastic. You could have it with a wide mouth at the top and then it slowly tapers down as it slows the egg. The bottom you could cushion with something soft like cotton or a sock at the bottom of the chute. Just an idea :smile:
 
I knew someone that put an egg inside the hole made by 2 bagels stacked on top of each other. their egg survived. You may want to do something about the exposed parts of the egg, but this person didn't, and it was okay.
 
Originally posted by photon
I knew someone that put an egg inside the hole made by 2 bagels stacked on top of each other. their egg survived. You may want to do something about the exposed parts of the egg, but this person didn't, and it was okay.
Haha, that might just work! Any suggestions as to what I can do about the exposed areas?


h
 
You could use three bagels to cover the entire egg, then use duct tape to hold them all together. But there has got to be some reason why the guy was confident with only 2.
 
*shrug* I can try both ways then - quite a uniquely simple idea, I'll see if it works. :smile:



h
 
We just did a test for our projects in my physics class.
The most successful design was to pieces of light foam about 4 inches thick held together by duct tape and fishing line. A small area had been cut out in the middle for the egg to rest in.
My class was also required to have one hatch that would be opened to retrieve the egg, this person made the foam hinge with the tape and latch with the fishing line.
 
  • #10
I placed the egg in a cup suspended by a group of straws so that it couldn't move. Then, I taped a partially deflated balloon to the bottom of the cup so that it would act as an airbag and absorb all of the impact. Worked perfectly from a height of 30 feet. It was the same concept that the Mars landing rovers used.

edit- wow just realized this was a really old post. Oh well.
 

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