The Great Physics Egg Drop (50 points)

Name:

Purpose: to study the rate of falling object

to build a device to protect a falling egg

to learn about impulse & momentum in stopping the egg

Materials: any device (substance) you might find around your home

size/texture large/soft enough to keep a raw egg from breaking

outer covering should increase air friction and reduce terminal

velocity as it falls

The total mass of your device with the egg should ideally not exceed 0.5 kg. You should package the egg in such a way that you must be able to place the egg in the device properly and remove it after the fall in less than 2 minutes time without damaging the device

Procedure: practice dropping an egg with your device before the due date

determine fall rate of a solid object - no air friction

determine fall rate of your egg device

make a drawing of your device and explain how it works

how does it reduce impact force and increase impulse time

how does it increase air friction and reduce final velocity

draw a vector diagram of your egg at terminal velocity

Calculations: The performance of your device will be the difference between your falling rate and that of a solid object.

Example: solid object from 4.90 meters = 1 s

your egg from 4.90 meters = 2.0 s

difference for your egg = 1.0 s

acceleration 2 x 4.90 m / (2.0 s)2 = 2.45 m/s2

impact velocity 2.45 m/s2 x 2 s = 4.9 m/s

Grading: each group will turn in one device

20points - performance - egg does not break ______points

15 points- penalty if egg cracks

12 points- penalty if egg breaks

10 points- penalty if yolk is broken

15 points – if device falls in 2 seconds or more

10 – 14 points – if device falls between 1.6 and 1.9 seconds

5 – 9 points - if device falls between 1.1 and 1.5 seconds

4 - points if egg falls like a solid device

15 points Report

10 points design, diagram and explanation ______points

5 points calculate difference

calculate acceleration rate

calculate impact velocity

Calculations: distance of drop 4.90 m

time of fall (solid) 1.0 sec impact velocity 9.8 m/s g = 9.80 m/s2

time of fall (egg) ______s

acceleration rate ______m/s2 a = 2 x 4.90 m / t2

impact velocity ______m/s v = a x t

Impulse ______N.s I = m.(vf – vi) (m = mass of egg in kg)

Each group will write 1 page typed (not handwritten) report on how their device works, how it increased air friction and the time of impact and on how the design can be improved upon along with the vector diagram.

Egg Drop Project Rubric
Looking For… / Way! /

Part Way

/

No Way

Protect the egg by increasing the time of impact / Egg is protected – not even a crack in the shell / Shell is cracked, but there is no fluid released / Egg is broken and yoke is destroyed
Increase air friction to slow the decent / Device falls nearly twice as slow as a solid object / Device falls slightly slower than a solid object / Device falls like a rock!
Diagram of your device listing all materials you used / Drawing accurately depicts the device you have made / Drawing is missing one or more critical structures / Drawing does not represent the device at all
Explain how the material you used had protected the egg / Use all the principles of physics that apply to your device / Use some of the physics principles / Nothing relating to physics principles
Explain how the device slows the rate of decent / Use all the principles of physics that apply to your device. What is terminal velocity? / Use some of the physics principles / Nothing relating to physics principles
Calculations:
Velocity at impact
Impact force
Acceleration / Equations show the data you measured and the results you obtained / Values are displayed without the equations you used / Numbers with no equations or data to support them
Conclusions: / Explain how your device might be improved with unlimited funding / Some explanation of things that might be done / No conclusions