Egg Drop

Egg Drop

Why do things break when they fall to the floor?

Materials

modelling clay

Make several balls of modelling clay, about 2 cm (1 inch) in diameter. They don't need to be exactly spherical, but they should be smooth and round. After you have made them, let them sit for a few minutes to return to room temperature (while it is warm, the clay is too squashy).

1. Gently place one ball on the bare floor. Then drop another ball from a height of 50 cm (18 inches) onto the floor. Compare the flat spots on the bottoms of the two clay balls. What does the difference imply?

2. Gently lay various sized books on the ball, using just enough books to make a similar-sized flat spot. (Don't drop the books on the ball!) Is the weight of the book less than the weight of the ball, about the same, or a lot more?

3. Similarly drop a ball from as high as you can reach. Or throw the ball at the floor! Again, estimate the force that is needed to squash the ball a similar amount.

4. write in your journal Describe the forces acting on the ball and the acceleration of the ball at various times:

before you dropped it;
while it was falling;
just as it hit the floor;
1 second after hitting the floor.

Check the box when you are done:

Rolling Race