Unit 7 Post - 7/07: EGG DROP (it like it's hot)

Today we conducted an experiment in which we were split into groups and given an egg. With that egg we had to build a contraption, not to exceed 35 cm in every dimension, in which to place the egg so that it could survive an approximate 10 meter drop.

My group built this: The Fluffy Fail

The brown paper bag on the top contains the egg in an individual zip-lock bag, surrounded by a bed of cotton balls in plastic bag, surrounded by a bed of marshmallows in a plastic bag, resting on a bed of plastic soda can rings - all wrapped in said brown paper bag. The brown paper bag is on a pillow that has been cut open by slitting in order to keep it from bouncing. The pillow sits on a mesh of plastic bags... we aren't sure if that really had a defined purpose but figured it couldn't hurt.

Just so you have an idea: Nude Egg Drop

We were dropping the eggs from more than a significant height under nothing but the good ol' force of gravity.

We conducted a practice run long before the drop with a practice egg I brought from home, it was successful! We didn't drop it from quite as high as the real one, but none the less were very excited knowing we were more than on the right track. We made some modifications afterwards to create the finished product you saw we tested. We cut the pillow - which looking back I think was destructive and unnecessary, we removed two red sponges that were between the bag and the pillow, which I also think was a bad idea, and we added the bed of plastic bags under the pillow - also regretted. I guess because our practice run went so well, we didn't think to just let it be - we thought anything we did to it could only make it better! 

The plan was to rely solely on cushion and padding. We weren't trying to manipulate acceleration, gravity, or the fall, were were just hoping we had put enough padding that it wouldn't matter. 

In conclusion, all the complicated things we added to the top in the brown bag (most of them unnecessary) caused the top part of our contraption - where the egg was - to be heavier than the bottom. So when we dropped it, the contraption flipped and fell directly on the egg. Game over.  In my honest opinion, if the contraption had landed right-side up, it would've worked. Our pillow was extremely thick and cushioned, and because it was slit open it couldn't possibly bounce. 

If i had to do it again, I wouldn't have put the plastic soda can rings in the brown bag, I would have cut the pillow a lot less than we did (but still had a small amount of slits just to let the air release so it wouldn't bounce), kept the red sponges between the pillow and brown bag, and... well I guess I would've prayed before we dropped it. This worked during the practice run - so I guess I learned not to "fix" it if it isn't broken