Experiment 2: Egg DropWhen a fragile object is subject to a sudden acceleration, the strain on the material can causeit 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.Materials6 WashersMasking Tape1 Plastic EggRulerScissors*Large Bowl *5 - 10 Printer or Notebook Paper Sheets *Various Household Items (For Egg Apparatus Design) *You Must ProvideProcedure1. 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 ReservedFigure 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 oflayers 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 DataPaper Placement Egg Observations3 Sheets at the Top of the Bowl Egg rebounds off paper, small dent in paper3 Sheets Spaced About 2 to 3 cm Apart Egg did not break nor did paper, only landed,did not rebound Post-Lab Questions1. 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 Reserved4. 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
View Full Document
Unlocking...