GRAND RAPIDS — An egg drop challenge... a bit of a daring science trick we will see if we can complete! This experiment will teach us all about inertia. Here’s what you need to get started.
- 1 glass cup
- Water
- Sturdy paper plate
- Toilet paper roll
- 1 raw egg
Step 1 – fill the cup ¾ pf the way full with water
Step 2 – place the paper plate centered over the cup
Step 3 – place the toilet paper roll on its end on the paper plate center over the cup
Step 4 – place the egg horizontally on the tube
Step 5 – when ready hit the paper plate strong enough to send it flying but not so strong that you knock over the cup of water…..watch what happens!
The egg drop challenge! Hopefully you successfully completed the challenge at home! Here’s whats happening with the science making this all possible. Its all about inertia. Inertia tells us how much energy an object needs to move it or stop it from moving. The paper plate and toilet paper roll in this challenge are low mass or lightweight so that gives them a low inertia and will easily move out of the way. The egg however has more mass or is heavier giving it higher inertia and will not easily move. These differences in inertia allows the egg to be left in place above the cup and have gravity take over and drop right into the water!