For this assignment, your teacher will give you an egg and some building materials. You will use these
materials to build a device that will keep an egg from cracking when it is dropped from a certain height.
Then you will test the device, determine how well it worked, and make recommendations to improve its
design. You will present your final design and the logic that supports it in a lab report. Your lab report
should include a title, an initial design, observations from your experimental tests, and recommendations
for a final design based on force and momentum concepts as well as observations from the tests
conducted. To help you write your lab report, there is a Student Worksheet on the last few pages of this
document Background Information
The shell of an egg is designed to distribute the force of an adult bird sitting on the egg, but it does not
retain its form as well when faced with a sudden impact. Unprotected, the shell of the egg cracks and the
contents of the egg splatter in many directions. During this project, you will design a device to protect an
egg on impact. The egg will be dropped from a designated height and allowed to collide with the ground.
To protect the egg from impact, you will need to lengthen the time before impact by using your knowledge
of force, Newton’s third law of motion, and momentum. This is an engineering challenge because it
combines physics principles with real building materials and design constraints. It provides you with the
opportunity to think about a problem, construct a solution, and evaluate your solution’s effectiveness.
Safety
• Wear safety goggles, as the egg will be dropped and pieces could break off upon impact.
• The eggs are for experimentation only and should not be consumed during or after the experiment.
• The eggs should be protected from impact until they are loaded in the devices to prevent
premature cracks prior to the testing phase.
• Devices should be dropped, not thrown. All actions should be purposeful.
• Only perform the experiment at an adult-approved location, with an adult present to supervise for
safety.
Materials
▪ Four sheets of 8 ½ x 11 inch
paper
▪ One meter of masking tape
▪ One resealable plastic bag
(sized for an egg)
▪ One meter of string
▪ Three straws
▪ Eggs
▪ White school glue
Step 1: Gather materials.
a) Collect the zippered plastic bag and building materials from your teacher. Lay them out on the
table so you can see everything.
Step 2: Design your prototype.
a) Study your building materials and think about a design that would protect the egg when it is
dropped from a set height. Write down some basic ideas on the Student Worksheet under
“Ideas for Prototype Design.”
There are three criteria to consider in your design:
1) The egg must be placed inside the plastic bag. The bag must then be sealed, without
any air trapped inside.
2) If the egg breaks, the mess must be contained by the plastic bag. The plastic bag
may not be used as part of the device; it should be used only as a containment
measure for the egg that will allow the egg to be inspected for breakage after each
drop attempt.
3) The device must travel with the egg during its descent.
b) Sketch out at least three ideas on the Student Worksheet for a device that would protect the
egg from impact.
c) On the Student Worksheet, consider the advantages and disadvantages of each device and
list them under each diagram.
d) Decide on the design you will use for the prototype.
1) Use your knowledge of force, velocity, acceleration, Newton’s third law of motion, and
momentum in the evaluation of each design.
2) Select a design that you can build within the time limit provided by your teacher.
3) Fill in the Student Worksheet to indicate which design you will use for your prototype
and explain your reasoning for selecting that particular design based on physics
principles.
Step 3: Build your prototype.
a) Use the materials provided by your teacher to construct the device. Write down any
modifications that you made to the basic design during the construction process on the
Student Worksheet.
Step 4: Test your prototype.
a) Make predictions about your device and record them on the Student Worksheet.
• Will your device cushion the egg? How will your device do this?
• Will your device increase the time it takes for the egg to impact the ground? How will your
device do this?
b) Take your bag-enclosed egg and device to the testing area designated by your teacher. You
will have up to three opportunities to test your device.
c) Record your observations each time you test your device on the Student Worksheet for later
evaluation of your design. If the egg breaks, then your testing opportunity is over.
Step 5: Evaluate your prototype’s design.
a) On the Student Worksheet, record what worked well with your design under “Evaluating Your
Prototype.”
b) Then on the Student Worksheet, record which features can be improved upon under
“Evaluating Your Prototype.”
c) Recommend at least one suggestion in the design process that would improve your device.
Provide a reason, based on at least one force or momentum concept, to explain why this
change would be an improvement. Record this information on the Student Worksheet under
“Suggestions.”
Step 6: Propose a final design for the device.
a) Draw a labeled diagram of your improved design on the Student Worksheet.
1) Base your improved design on the information gained through testing your first
device, as well as from research, observations, and/or further testing.
2) The final design can either use the initial materials list or be expanded to include other
materials not included in the first design.
3) This revised drawing should be part of your lab report conclusion.
Step 7: Write your lab report.
a) Combine your data and observations to write your lab report.
b) Your lab report should include the following:
1) Title
2) Three rough sketches showing your initial design ideas.
3) The advantages and disadvantages of each design idea.
4) The design idea you decided to build along with why you chose that design.
5) Data and observations from the experimental tests.
6) At least one suggestion that would improve your device along with a reason why this
change would be an improvement.
7) One labeled drawing of your final design.
Step 8: Evaluate your lab report using this checklist.
If you can check each criterion below, you are ready to submit your lab report.
Does your lab report include a title?
Does your lab report include three rough sketches of your initial design ideas?
Does your lab report include the advantages and disadvantages of each design idea?
Does your lab report include an explanation of why you chose to build the initial design that
you did?
Does your lab report include data and observations from the experimental tests of your
device?
Does your lab report include at least one suggestion of how to improve your device along with
an explanation of why this suggestion is an improvement?
Does your lab report include one labeled drawing of your final design
Step 9: Revise and submit your lab report.
a) If you were unable to check off all of the requirements on the checklist, revise your final lab
report and save it before submitting.
b) When you have completed your lab report, return to the Virtual Classroom and use the
“Browse for file” option to locate and submit your assignment, or turn it in to your teacher if
required. Congratulations! You have completed your engineering design challenge
and have successfully built and tested a device to protect an egg from cracking when dropped from a certain height. This project required you to apply your knowledge of force, Newton's third law of motion, and momentum to design and construct a prototype, test its effectiveness, evaluate its design, and propose improvements. In your lab report, you should include a title, sketches of your initial design ideas, the advantages and disadvantages of each design idea, an explanation of why you chose the design you did, data and observations from the experimental tests, a suggestion for improvement with an explanation of why it would be an improvement, and a labeled drawing of your final design.
Remember to follow safety precautions throughout the experiment and to carefully observe and record your results. Good luck with your project!