physics homework help egg drop

physics homework help egg drop

Physics Homework Help: The Science Behind the Egg Drop Experiment

1. Introduction to the Egg Drop Experiment

When a force is applied to a liquid like air, the pressure that is put on one side of the egg also travels through the liquid to the opposite side. When we drop the egg, it smashes on the hard surface. However, when you do the egg drop experiment and put the egg in a cushion, the force is applied to the cushion. And because the cushion is coated, the surface pressure is spread out over thousands of tiny bubbles and distributed on the liquid as a whole. This disperses the pressure on the egg, and the egg is saved. It’s as easy as that! The surface tension makes sure the egg doesn’t break because the air pressure on the surface of the bubble is equal to the force being exerted on the bubble. Now, go ahead and observe the laws of physics with nothing more than a bowl of water and an egg! Section summary.

The egg drop experiment is a classic physics project often taken up by students in high school or college. The thought behind this experiment is to apply concepts of air pressure and gravity in order to make a cushion that will help protect an egg from breaking when it lands after it is dropped. Aside from being fun and somewhat messy, the egg drop experiment builds a greater understanding of physics. But what does it say about physics?

2. Key Physics Concepts at Play

Once a force has stopped being used on a moving object, the object will come to rest eventually. This is due to the idea of inertia. Something that is in motion finds it hard to stop. For example, it would be hard to get a large tree moving if it were immovable and you were by yourself. Whereas, if a few others helped, it would be easy to get the tree in motion and keep it in motion for a long time. The object’s gravity is dependent on its mass and the distance from the object’s center to the other object’s center of mass. This means that planets in outer space are not affected as badly by the Earth’s gravitational pull as we are. This is because of the huge distance between the two. To understand more about gravitational pull and many other physics homework help topics, please speak with our tutors who will be happy to help you in any area of physics.

The egg drop is not only a popular high school project, it is also based on key principles of physics. Understanding the science behind the concept is helpful for students who need some physics homework help. There are three key scientific concepts that we will look at in this article. These are: force, motion, and gravitational pull. Before we mentioned that a force is needed to stop work being done on an object. In real life, a force is commonly used to increase the speed of an object. For instance, a child sitting on a swing will not swing much back and forth if no one pushes them on the swing.

3. Designing an Effective Egg Drop Contraption

The shape of the vehicle is important as well, as it will take up less room and require less drag when coming down. The two main shapes of the container are a square with straight lines or a circle, which is round. Of the two, a flat bottom square edges container has the most surface area and would create the most amount of drag. However, depending on the design, it might be needed to maximize the wind’s resistance of the object. Aim for a circular object.

The more structure the container has, the more potential energy the container has, and the more damage it can do to the egg. A little elasticity in the container will be good to absorb some of the forces when the egg comes to a complete stop. Elasticity is the degree of hook deepness. This will also help in the aerodynamics. The more design elements you add to the container to help slow the device, the safer the egg will be. Also, the heavier devices are usually bigger. Plus, you should think about the height more than the angle because height times acceleration is where the power comes from.

The experiment suggests that successful participants will build a container that will best protect the egg from breaking. The egg drop contraption should take up as little space as possible and contain some aerodynamic elements to help slow its trip. The most important part of a successful contraption is the device or materials it is built out of to slow down the acceleration. When designing the device, you should first think of things that are heavy and compare them to things that are lightweight and stop fast.

4. Testing and Analyzing Results

Be sure to discuss your results and the quality of the constructed device. While holding all else constant, an experiment designed to test the effects and results of varying one factor in order to determine that factor’s effect is called a controlled experiment, and its purpose is to detail said effect alone; however, this importance can be carried over to the need for constant control in the experimentation process to ensure validity. Thus, the importance of variables is also shown. It is crucial that every test performed and reported is consistent throughout or otherwise explained. Introduce ways that the objective can be improved in any coincidentally less-impressive sections.

With the egg drop contraption completed, it is time to test our design and report on the results. The first step is to establish and measure physical quantities. It is crucial to establish characteristics that the quality and safety of the egg drop contraption will depend on, such as: the egg’s mass and volume, the device’s mass and volume, the dropper position, and the angle at which it was dropped. Once the physical quantities are established, gather and analyze results to determine each contraption’s success rate at keeping a “test egg” safe and unbroken (conclusion reached after analysis of the three tested eggs). Your analysis should include an investigation of the device’s impact force, a qualitative observations section, and a percentage of contraptions that worked versus the contraptions that failed, per team.

5. Real-World Applications and Further Exploration

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “it’s not rocket policy”, it references the egg drop experiment and all its real-world implications. For example, many tech companies use an optimization tool based on the egg drop experiment to figure out how to protect their drones from crashing on delivery. Engineers working on airbags also use a very similar method when optimizing their bags – just replace the egg with crash test dummies. Business owners can apply the same techniques to their products in terms of both packaging and design. Advanced physics still aren’t your jam? Keep searching for wider-appeal real-world applications of the egg drop experiment – there are a lot! Or leave the egg drop experiment behind and start a new physics unit. Go outside for a walk and imagine the physics lessons you could teach!

The egg drop experiment has the potential to teach your students more than just the physics of the world we live in. By encouraging them to think critically about the scientific method and the logic behind anomalies, they are learning practical skills they can use in any field. Individuals who really have a passion for this experiment and want to explore cloudier scientific contexts often follow their egg drop experiment instructions with the following: Build a protective case with a parachute to protect an egg from a high drop. With the skills and knowledge picked up from our guide, you should be able to continue experimenting to make your egg extra safe while considering math and physics theories in the process.