Experiment 2 Egg Drop When a fragile object is subject to a sudden acceleration the strain on the material can cause it to break By increasing the time and distance over which an object accelerates or decelerates you can prevent damage that might occur otherwise even if the total change in momentum is the same In this experiment you will design an apparatus to decelerate a falling egg so that it does not break Materials 6 Washers Masking Tape 1 Plastic Egg Ruler Scissors Large Bowl 5 10 Printer or Notebook Paper Sheets Various Household Items For Egg Apparatus Design You Must Provide Procedure 1 Find an area outside that can be easily cleaned up Note A porch area works well if there is a step you can stand on to drop your egg directly over your apparatus 2 To increase the mass of the egg open the plastic egg place six washers inside and snap the egg back together 3 Tape three sheets of paper over the top of your bowl Construct a hypothesis to predict whether or not the egg will break open if you drop it from a high point onto the paper Include your hypothesis in Post Lab Question 1 4 Drop the egg from shoulder height so that it lands in the large bowl Did the egg break open What happened to the paper Record your observations in Table 3 5 If the egg broke open in Step 3 replace it with six washers and snap the egg back together 6 Space pieces of paper inside the bowl so that there are three layers 2 or 3 cm apart Figure 4 Theoretically the egg will break through each layer in succession before reaching the bottom 2014 eScience Labs LLC All Rights Reserved Figure 4 Step 6 reference 7 Drop the egg Record your observations in Table 3 8 If your egg still breaks open add more layers to your apparatus Record the amount of layers you use in Table 3 9 Put the egg back together and drop the egg on the apparatus with new layers 10 Can you design a better apparatus to prevent the egg from breaking Try some other materials you have around your house Table 3 Egg Drop Data Paper Placement Egg Observations 3 Sheets at the Top of the Bowl Egg rebounds off paper small dent in paper 3 Sheets Spaced About 2 to 3 cm Apart Egg did not break nor did paper only landed did not rebound Post Lab Questions 1 Did you come up with a design that prevents the egg from breaking If yes explain how it worked If not explain why 2 Why did adding layers of paper help prevent the egg from breaking open rather than one thick layer with the same number of sheets Hint Over how much time is the force applied in each case 3 Explain how a circus net prevents trapeze artists from injuring themselves even after falling from a large height 2014 eScience Labs LLC All Rights Reserved 4 Why it is important to bend your knees when you hit the ground after jumping from several feet in the air 2014 eScience Labs LLC All Rights Reserved
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