We are about to start a competitive project in my physics class. Teams of 3 will build a device of some form to keep a number of eggs (at team disgression) safe after the device is thrown from the top of the football stadium. Most intact eggs, regardless of number used, wins. The device must freefall, and the grounds may not be altered in any way. Any ideas?
Some sort of parachute device?
Do you have specific materials to work with?
Also, be sure to keep the device light (so it doesn’t fall down faster) and add some padding to surround the egg so it doesn’t move too much at the time of impact. While at first a semi circular bowl/hat type of thing would be the obvious choice with a parachute, I think that a ball that would contain and completely pad and surround the egg is a better way to go. Think of the Mars landers; when those things smash down, they don’t just touch the ground and stay there, they roll around a bit because of the energy with which they fall towards the ground. A ball type of thing that would roll along would help make sure the egg doesn’t fall out or feel forces differently in different directions.
Yeah, don’t do any cockamanie ideas like attaching ballons. Just go with padding (maybe air or cushion padding) and a light parachute, like a large kerchief of cloth or silk attached by string to 3 or 4 corners.
Hooray for bubble wrap, lol.
It sounds like Sin has the right idea. Too bad it isn’t a catapult.
I remember doing these sorts of things in my physics class. Do whatever is allowed to slow the descent of the contraption, and provide something to absorb as much of the impact as possible.
Also, if you decide to use multiple eggs, my idea would be to isolate each one in whatever you build. That way they won’t break against each other. I hope that made sense.
Originally posted by Sinistral
Also, be sure to keep the device light (so it doesn’t fall down faster)
Actually, weight doesn’t make as much difference as air resistance. If you give it a really wide base, it’s fall a lot slower than one with a small base, even if the meterial is lighter.
That said, weight obviously does make a difference, but don’t make it the be-all and end-all whe designing.
The general concensus is that the shotgun principal will apply as far as number of eggs go. Last year the average was 9 dozen eggs. My group is thinking about using a box of some form, filled with eggs and padding, suspended by bungee cords within a spherical outer shell. The shell will be padded (one idea involves a bunch of helium balloons used like airbags) and will then have a parachute attatched. The stadium is at least 100 ft. tall. we have until December 19 to put this together.
All materials are legal, so long as the device free falls and is not lowered be means of rope, etc.
Whatever you do, do <b>not</b> make it have a flat bottom. That will screw your egg over.
What you wanna do is get the time in between the drop and the landing to be the longest time possible, and the velocity of your egg to be extremely low when it impacts with the ground.
That means you’ll want a parachute device and a circular/pointed bottom.
Originally posted by Sinistral
Also, be sure to keep the device light (so it doesn’t fall down faster)
Having never taken physics (you can thank crappy scheduling on the part of my school senior year), I’m not totally sure, but don’t things fall at the same rate (obviously excepting the air resistance Pierson was talking about)? I mean, wouldn’t something being heavier just cause there to be more force? That’s always been my understanding. Wouldn’t the heavier thing, given same dimensions as a lighter thing, fall at the same rate but just have more force (which I do know would be detrimental on impact)?
Slowdown due to air resistance contributes a higher percentage of the overall force on the device if the device is lighter.
one member of the group thought about adding small rockets to the bottom, but that sounds too extreme.
We also are thinking about having a crushable section (like similar to a car bumper) on the bottom to help absorb the impact.
For the basic device, I’d suggest a packing crate and a bunch of egg cartons, maybe with foam layers as a separator. Then add fancies and parachutes as you see fit.
One member wants to use a crate with layers of “egg crate” mattress pad type stuff separating the eggs.
Well if you take air resistance to be negligable, then everything will fall at the same rate (9.81m/s^2, the acceleration due to gravity). However the weight does increase the amount of energy the body will land at, so it does still need to be light.
Anyway, I think your best bets are to have some form of parachute, to slow your fall down as much as possible.
And to have the crushable bottom section like you suggested deathstryke. For this section will slow down the landing, and since the amount of force it lands at depends on the time, it will decrease it. And therefore protect your eggs from most of the damage.
And that my friends is what you get for being an A Level Physics student.
i just wonder how much 10 dozen eggs weighs…
What would be the best method of getting the parachute to open? We can’t very well just drop it off a building with the chute already open, can we?
What size of eggs would be best? gotta have every edge we can get for this one.
Don’t know about size, but unless you’ve been told differently or the teacher is supplying the eggs, hard boil them… >.>
What would be the best method of getting the parachute to open? We can’t very well just drop it off a building with the chute already open, can we?
Why not?
What size of eggs would be best? gotta have every edge we can get for this one.
The smaller the better. Find the smallest eggs you can get and use those.
Here’s what you do, as I did this last year for physics.
-Get a paper plate
-Build out of popsicle sticks, a bird-nest like design in the center.
-Glue cotton balls all around it.
-Place the egg in the center
-Drop
The paper plate itself is enough to slow down it’s decent. Don’t even bother with a parachute, you’ll only make things worse.
Or if that doesn’t work for you, take a Nerf Football (if you can FIND one…), open it up (carefully!!!), and shove it full of cotton and the like. Slip the egg in there, seal it up with duct tape, and let fly. If it busts, looks like you didn’t put enough in.