What is a good hypothesis is for an egg drop?

Answer 1

Experimental Method:

Find a strong jar with a sealing screw-lid. Or, a rigid can or plastic container would be okay. Carefully slip the fresh egg into this container and completely top it up with water. Seal it with the lid.

Now take a round plastic tub or cardboard carton that will accomodate your jar with some space all round it. Fill this with Rice Krispies and then gently settle your jar into the middle of it, ensuring that it is insulated on all sides by the cereal. Securely close the container.

Eat the left-over Krispies, of course.

Moment of truth:

Drop the doubly contained egg from your helicopter, or whatever. Pray that it doesn't hit a police car. A large, well grassed park would be a wise target area. Grass softens the landing.

Do remember to take out suitable insurance and send out a timely air-raid signal for the benefit of unwitting picnickers and dog walkers!

Hypothesis:

The trick is to spread the force or impulse during a landing or 'retardation' phase onto the entire surface of the egg. In this way, the resulting vector force on the egg will be zero. In other words, any vector force will become evenly distributed into an all-round pressure instead. Although an egg is not perfectly spherical, its shell is curved and is designed to take a great deal of pressure before collapsing.

If there is any prohibitive size or weight limit, use a lighter and/or smaller vessel for the water and egg: that inner vessel must have good rigidity.

Or, swap the external carton/tub for a plastic bag. Krispies are very light and will progressively collapse on impact, thus reducing any physical impulse or localised shock to the inner content.

The inner vessel could alternatively be lagged using draught excluder tape. But, failing all else, just stick the egg snuggly into the middle of a bag of the breakfast cereal. If you are not fond of raw egg mixed with Krispies and bits of shell, wrap the egg in cling film first.

The density of water makes it quite suitable for an egg-drop experiment because it approximates to the density of a fresh egg which is, thus, well suspended in it. The density of the water may be tweaked if required by dissolving salts into it.

If prefered, wind conditions being not too turbulent, the ready article could be made to fall in one specific orientation by the attachment of opposed dart-like fins and/or by attaching something like a kite tail to the upper end of it.