If you’ve entered an egg-drop contest, there are basically two strategies you can use to help that egg survive a fall. The first is to cushion the impact, and the second is to reduce the speed of the fall. If you get to choose your own egg, you can soften it with vinegar to help it absorb the impact.

A magician is standing on a concrete floor holding a raw egg with his hand outstretched. Without the aid of any objects, he is able to drop the egg two feet without breaking it’s shell.

The egg gains potential energy as it is transported to a higher elevation for performing the egg drop experiment. Drag does not destroy kinetic energy, but instead creates friction (between the air and the object creating drag) and as a result transfers the energy into heat energy (another form of kinetic energy).

The egg drop contest is an experiment usually performed by college or primary school students. Competitors typically attempt to create a device that can keep a raw chicken egg intact when dropped from a height.

To make the contraption, combine two parts corn starch with one part water to fill a quart-size plastic bag. Then simply stick the egg inside the bag and let it fall to the ground.

Loosely wrap a rubber band around the egg. Gently stack the straws upright between the rubber band and the egg. Do this around the entire egg to create a crate. It helps to have a friend assist you.

Instructions

1. 1Make a triangle out of a straw and tape it together.
2. 2Repeat this two more times.
3. 3Tape all 3 triangles together around the egg to make a pyramid shape.
4. 4Decide how else to cushion the egg – for example: using more straws.
5. 5Spread the painter’s tarp on the floor.

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Need a Funnel? They’re Everywhere

1. Plastic Cup. Find a plastic cup, cut a slit down one side and then cut off the bottom. Roll it into a funnel shape and tape it up.
2. Milk Carton/Plastic Bottle. Take a milk carton or plastic bottle, then cut the bottom off.
3. Mustard Bottle.