Introduction

In order to prepare for the egg drop competition, there have been numerous steps I have taken.  From the beginning, I believed that using a parachute to prevent the egg from breaking was the best method.  I began with a simple prototype that used a Jewel shopping bag and a piece of tape.  I thought that this would be the most effective way to prevent the egg from breaking because I believed that the bag would create an adequate amount of wind resistance while using only two parts and having a very light mass.  I was mistaken in this thought process, for this combination would not decrease the impact velocity enough so as to allow the egg to land softly.  My next thought was that I could build off of my prototype by improving my parachute concept.  In order to make the necesary improvements I resorted to the impulse-momentum theorem.  I made two improvements based on the impulse-momentum theorem that I believed were key to success in this contest.  The first change I made was to use a bag that had a greater surface area.  I did this because a greater surface area will create a greater wind resistance that would decrease the over all velocity of the egg.  This change accounts for the "v" in the equation of the impulse-momentum theorem.  The second change I made was to increase the time of impact.  When learning about this theorem in class we observed a demonstration that involved an egg being dropped onto a bag that was not being tightly stretched in the middle.  The purpose of that demonstration was to show that by increasing the amount of time it take the egg to land, it is possible to prevent the egg from breaking.  I applied this concept to my device at first by adding a plethora of cotton balls that later changed to three small sheets of cotton inside a small ziploc bag (so as to decrease the number of overall parts of my device to benefit my score).  The only flaw that I saw in my experiement prior to my drop was that although I beleived my device had the ability to prevent the egg from breaking,  it was possible that if my device hit the bullseye the parachute could have possibly landed outside the bullseye zone.
Hypothesis:  If I increase the impact time while decreasing the velocity, then my egg will not break because the egg will not hit the ground at a fast enough speed to break and the force at impact will be further reduced through extending the amount of time it takes the egg to fully collide with the ground.

Methods

In my device, I used nine total pieces.  My device consisted of a shopping bag, two pieces of string, 3 small sheets of cotton, a ziploc bag, and two pieces of tape.  each of these parts had a specific reason for being used.  The purpose of the shopping bag was to be the parachute for the egg.  It was not very heavy; however, it had an adequate amount of surface area that I believed would be suffucient enough to slow the egg down.  The two pieces of string were used to connect the parachute to the ziploc bag.  I had difficulties in attempting to use one piece of string because I determined that it would take numerous pieces of tape to my device and would significantly affect my number of parts.  The 3 small sheets of cotton were used in place of the orginal cotton balls that I had because I believed they would have the same affect as the cotton balls; additionally, it would significantly reduce the total number of parts by at least ten.  The ziploc bag was essential because it was very lightweight and it had enough space to hold all the cotton as the well as the egg.  The two pieces of tape were used to attach the shopping bag to the ziploc bag.  I considered using one piece of tape but determined that adding the one extra piece would not be detrimental to success in this competition.  When determining a sample calculation using the equation that was given to us I determined what my score would be if i got a bullseye.  (30 (16/31)+ 30 (9/18)+ 40 (1/2))= 50.48.  Given that a bullseye would give me a score of 50.48, I was extremely satisfied with the potential that my device had and therefore mad no changes after determining my potential score.

Results

I did not perform well in the competition and am extremely disappointed with the results.  Given my preparation, I strongly believed that I had potential to place in the top twenty-five people of this competition; at the very least I thought that my project was going to land without breaking and was wrong in that assumption, for my egg did break.  Although my egg broke, one aspect that did go well for my project was its accuracy.  I hit the second ring of the target but with a better drop could have very easily hit the bullseye.  I still feel that my prototype gave me a solid oppurtunity to score in the range that I had predicted because of the fact that I utuilized the impulse-momentum theorem to its fullest.  If I dropped the same device again, I believe that it still has the potential to land without breaking and landing within the first two rings of the target.  If I were to enter this competition again I would make one change to my device.  I would utilize the benefits of helium.  Although that adds about three parts (helium, balloon, and string), my mass that was fairly light to begin with would be even lighter because of the fact that helium would cancel out some of the weight.  Another benefit that I would get from using helium is the fact that my parachute would not land in a different ring than that of my egg because I would attach it to the top of my parachute which would keep it in the air.  Although my egg broke and I did not receive a score, I feel that my hypothesis was correct according to the impulse momentum theorem.  The time of impact was extended and the the velocity was decreased from my original device.  Overall, I had fun throughout the course of this competition despite the fact that I did not even receive a score because it allowed me to build many different things as well as challenge me to make multiple changes and think about how I could continue to improve my device.  This was a very independent project and required me to rely on myself to be successful which was a fun challenge to take on.