How can I improve my egg drop design using limited materials?

AI Thread Summary
To improve an egg drop design using limited materials, consider creating a cone from newspaper and reinforcing the bottom with extra newspaper and masking tape for added cushioning. Ensuring the cone drops straight is crucial; techniques to prevent tilting include stabilizing the structure with popsicle sticks or skewers. Conducting a series of drops from gradually increasing heights will help identify weaknesses in the design and allow for iterative improvements. Learning from each failure is essential for refining the egg drop mechanism. Early experimentation is advised to optimize the design before the competition.
Johnson Smith
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Hey guys!

So I will be doing the classic egg drop competition at school and was wondering if I could get some help. The materials I have is :
3 sheets of newspaper
5 popsicle sticks
10 wooden skewers
1m of masking tape
hot glue

I have to drop an egg multiple times (not sure the heights yet though). I was thinking of just using the typical design of making a cone out of the sheets of newspaper, but any tips with that? Should I stuff the bottom of the cone with extra newspaper and masking tape? Also, is making sure the cone drops straight so it lands on the point an issue? If, so do you guys have any tips on keeping it from tilting? Thanks!
 
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Johnson Smith said:
Also, is making sure the cone drops straight so it lands on the point an issue?
What do you think? What do you reckon would happen if it turns upside down?
 
Whatever you decide to do, do it sooner than later. Don't wait till the night before. Fail early and often. From each failure, try to learn something (what broke and why, etc.) so you can improve your next design. Also: don't start out at a height of 10 meters and expect to learn anything. Do a sequence of drops at incrementally increasing altitudes (starting at a very low height) and record the fail height for each version of your design.
 
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