Egg Drop (Allison Shiff)

Author

Allison Shiff

Principle(s) Illustrated

  1. Motion

  2. Forces

Standards

Motion1. The velocity of an object is the rate of change of its position. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know position is defined in relation to some choice of a standard reference point and a set of reference directions.b. Students know that average speed is the total distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed and that the speed of an object along the path traveled can vary.c. Students know how to solve problems involving distance, time, and average speed. d. Students know the velocity of an object must be described by specifying both the direction and the speed of the object. e. Students know changes in velocity may be due to changes in speed, direction, or both. f. Students know how to interpret graphs of position versus time and graphs of speed versus time for motion in a single direction.

Forces 2. Unbalanced forces cause changes in velocity. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know a force has both direction and magnitude. b. Students know when an object is subject to two or more forces at once, the result is the cumulative effect of all the forces. c. Students know when the forces on an object are balanced, the motion of the object does not change.

Questioning Script

Prior knowledge & experience:

Students have learned about objects in motion and are now beginning the unit on forces.

Root question:

"What will happen to the egg if I know the pie plate away?"

Target response

The egg go flying off and break.

The Egg Drop is a classic science demonstration that illustrates Newton's Laws of Motion, namely inertia. The challenge sounds so simple… just get the egg into the glass of water, but there are a few obstacles. The egg is perched high above the water on a cardboard tube, and a pie plate sits between the tube and the water. Still think it's easy? Sir Isaac Newton does.

What is the correct answer

The egg will fall directly down into the cup because of inertia.

Common Misconceptions:

Students may think that when one object receives a force (when hit with your hand) that it causes any object touching it to move in the direction of the force.

Photographs and Movies

References

Reference 1 Egg Drop Newton's Law of Inertia Slideshare

Reference 2 Egg Drop Experiment - Saturday Science (How to do the experiment at home)