It’s raining eggs!

Year 10 students have been exploring the physics of motion in their science classes this term, and last week was their opportunity to put their learning to the test. Students constructed a range of weird and wonderful prototypes with one core goal – to minimise the damage to a vulnerable raw egg that could potentially be caused by a 4.5m drop! Assessed for creativity, originality, size and use of materials, these devices were released from the piazza balcony to determine which could best protect its precious cargo – with a range of gooey results… 

The task was to drop an egg off the Piazza level balcony, without it cracking. We were not allowed to use parachutes or anything that slowed down the drop, as the aim of the assessment was to cushion the drop. My design was a cardboard box, lined with a thin sponge at the bottom and filled with scrunched up newspaper. 

This was a really enjoyable task as it was a self-directed assignment, and there were only certain requirements that needed to be followed, making every design very unique and creative. When my class all dropped our egg protection devices, designs, some fully smashed, some slightly cracked but nearly half of Ms Sheehan’s class stayed intact.

I learnt many concepts through this assessment task relating to Physics including inertia and how it applies to car safety devices such as seatbelts and airbags. it works. To ensure that my design successfully protected the egg, I first needed to understand what inertia was and how to cushion the egg without going over the weight limits that were given in the criteria. 

My design, along with many others, was successful in a 4.5 metre drop. I wanted to challenge my design and decided to see if my egg could also still survive a drop from the top-level balcony of the Piazza. I opened up my design to see if the egg survived, and it was successful. No cracks or damage to the egg were visible, so this practical experiment was a successful way of learning about protecting an egg and applying this knowledge to car safety devices.

Zara Zanic

Our whole class went to the balcony to drop our different egg-protection devices and see if our eggs cracked. We learned whilst enjoying ourselves and observed that the devices which bounced protected the egg the most effectively.

Emily Shi

We tried to make the egg not come in contact with the outer side of the device. We made a triangular base to protect the egg. Since the bottom absorbs the most shock we had to keep it soft and strong.

Ziyan Tang and Ivy Lee

The process of making the egg-impact-absorbing-device took a lot of research and logic in its design consideration – however the results were rewarding as we had positive outcomes in the end.

Isabella Huang and Danielle Song

The egg drop was such a good way to learn in an engaging and practical way. It was a highly enjoyable experience to apply our knowledge outside of the classroom.

Tamara Jabbour

My egg drop experience was exhilarating – standing there, watching my peers on the ground, ready to showcase my amazing egg protection device was a proud moment. The success in the aftermath was rewarding for the time and effort that was put in to creating this masterpiece.

 Antonia Abounajm

We found it stressful, but it was a good experience where we learned and evaluated different ways to figure out a successful design. I learned a lot from my peers – some creative designs worked better than others.

Chloe Eiszele