Egg drop: no parachutes or padding

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on strategies for constructing an egg drop vehicle that can protect an egg from a three-story drop without using parachutes or padding. Participants shared their experiences, including a successful design using a plastic cup and paper towel roll, which ensured the egg remained stationary and protected during the fall. Another user mentioned a school competition where students were limited to using only newspaper and tape, highlighting the challenge of creating a durable structure. The discussion emphasizes the importance of weight distribution and structural integrity in egg drop designs.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics principles related to impact and force distribution.
  • Familiarity with materials such as newspaper, tape, and lightweight structural components.
  • Experience in basic engineering design and prototyping techniques.
  • Knowledge of competition rules and scoring criteria for egg drop contests.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research effective weight distribution techniques for impact resistance.
  • Explore designs using cone shapes and layered materials for enhanced strength.
  • Investigate the properties of different adhesives and their impact on structural integrity.
  • Learn about the physics of free fall and how to calculate impact forces.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for students participating in egg drop competitions, educators looking for innovative teaching methods in physics, and hobbyists interested in engineering challenges involving impact protection.

liljediboi
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any suggestions on this lab? dropped from i guess 3 stories up and the vehicle must be around 50 grams. no parachutes or padding either.
 
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I did something like this last year. I used a plastic cup and put weights in it so the bottom always hit first. I then glue half of a paper towel roll to the bottom of the cup so that the cup surrounds most of the roll. The egg fit snug in the roll so it didn't move and didn't break. The weights made sure that the vehicle didn't turn over while in flight and the bottom hit the ground and not the egg.
It looked a little like this http://www.ped01.com/cup.jpg
 
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There was an egg drop competition at my school the other day for younger students. Not one of their eggs survived the 3-storey drop. They were asked to construct the container in which to put the egg in out of only newspaper and tape. I am still wondering as to how this can be achieved as the teacher did not bother telling us.
 
i need to do something similar to the egg drop for a big physics contest on march 6th..i have to build an egg protecting structure out of either paper, toothpicks, 1mm diameter string, and small amounts of white glue..and then drop something on the structure without the egg breaking...sounds easy right? but it's a contest so the heavier the thing u drop is, the higher the score..and the lighter and shorter the egg protecting structure, the higher the score
if anyone has any ideas for me i would really appreciate it
here's the original thread with the contest rules
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14252
 
Originally posted by recon
There was an egg drop competition at my school the other day for younger students. Not one of their eggs survived the 3-storey drop. They were asked to construct the container in which to put the egg in out of only newspaper and tape. I am still wondering as to how this can be achieved as the teacher did not bother telling us.

some people in our lab created a cone with some of that posterboard stuff. its stronger than newspaper, but with enough layers, it should give the same results.

now as a report back on mine, it worked.. during trials, but failed me when it was tested for a grade. :frown: that's 5 points off out of 40! jeez
 

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