Egg drop

In this lesson you will use teamwork to design a container that would protect a raw egg as it falls to the ground from a height of 8 feet. Your team will receive an egg and a bag of materials. You will be given time to brainstorm how you might construct a protective mechanism for dropping your egg without breaking it. You are only allowed to use the materials in your bag within the time frame allotted. It will be important to work well with your teams in analyzing the materials you are given and predicting which materials will safely protect your egg during its descent. Team Roles:

1. Materials Manager - the person whose birthday is the nearest in the future. Picks up, manages, and returns all materials. 2. Checker - the person to the right of the materials manager; makes certain all tasks are carried out correctly, answers team questions and seeks out assistance when team requests it. Also responsible for navigating to the websites identified by the instructor to check for resources explaining the outcomes of their trials; 3. Encourager - the person to the right of the Checker; responsible for establishing and keeping a positive team spirit. 4. Reporter/Recorder - the person to the right of the Encourager; responsible for taking down (entering into the computer) the team brainstorming notes and the selections for assembling the protective mechanism as well as recording the results of the team trials. This person will also report the findings of the team. 5. If there are five team members the fifth person will be the reporter.

After your team has assigned and reviewed the roles, the materials manager can pick up the team materials.
Materials

1. Computers with Internet access

2. One egg for every group of students

3. One piece of newspaper for every group of students

4. One foot of tape for every group of students

5. Some materials you may choose are poster board, cardboard

cotton, Styrofoam, tape, glue, socks, toilet paper, and straws.

6. Garbage bags

7. Area outside or in school stairwell.

In your design, you should choose one or two variables and test the results of this variable on your crate. Your design must not include changing the egg in any way (no tape on the egg, no nail polish on the egg, no hollow eggs...). You will write a lab report with all the standard sections and produce a final product to describe your work. In this project, you should be trying to apply some of the knowledge about motion.

Part I. (10 minutes)
Once the team has taken time to read the egg drop instructions and look over the materials, they will brainstorm ideas on how to create the most protective mechanism. After brain storming, the checker makes sure everyone’s idea is discussed and the most agreed upon plan will be selected. The checker may consult with other groups if their teams wish.

Part II. (15 minutes)
When the team has decided upon the construction plan, they may begin to construct their mechanism. Following the construction, the group then chooses a slogan for their group and select an energizer which they would like the group to give them as they complete their drop. The encourager leads the cheer following the group’s presentation

Part III. (10 minutes)
When all teams have completed their mechanisms the instructor will bring them to the “drop” site. Following the concluding drop, each of the groups will review the results and hypothesize why the mechanisms performed as well or poorly as they did. The materials manager returns the supplies and picks up the egg drop lab sheet. The group discusses the analysis and work together to individually complete each sheet.

The group then chooses a slogan for their group and assist the recorder in preparing a graphic organizer for teaching the whole group about what they learned. They also select an energizer which they would like the group to...