Science Egg-Drop With Restrictions - Need Ideas!?

Question

I have an Egg Drop project due soon
(Drop an egg/contraption from different heights, 2m to get an A)

but the restrictions are killing me. HELP!

Restrictions:

1. May only use 25 drinking straws (fast food ones are not allowed)
2. May only use 100 straight pins
3. May not use any other "foreign" substance
4. Egg must be Grade A Large Egg

Any Ideas?

The only things that we can use are straws, metal straight pins and the egg. A picture would work wonders here

Answer 1

Try making a loose net (kind of a sunken in grid pattern). That way, when the egg hits the straws, it will give a little to absorb the impact. Remember, the looser you can make it, the better.

Answer 2

You don't have a lot to work with. The basket ideas wouldn't work because they would just be straws laying on the ground, even if they were woven together. You have to use whatever spring there is in the straws as the cushion. You need to use as much of the straw for cushion as possible.

I think I'd push a pin through one end of all the straws, then using needlenose pliers, bend each pin into a circle. Adding more circular pins, 1 or 2 probably between each straw, I'd make a circular chain that was slightly smaller than the egg. Assembling it upside down, I'd set the egg, point side up, in that pocket and wrap the straws evenly up the length of the egg. Where all the straws come together, I'd wrap them with another pin chain, but don't puncture the straws here. I'd think the straws would then be splayed outwards evenly without being kinked. Now you turn it over and it lands on 25 somewhat springy legs.

Use the rules, get them in writing so they won't be changed when you show up with some wise guy ideas. Make them eat their rules. For instance, nowhere do you say it has to be a chicken egg. You don't say who can grade the egg. Maybe you could get a large humming bird egg and grade it A. Maybe you could use a fossilized egg that has turned into stone. If the rules don't say not to, hard boil the egg. What's a straight pin? I could make a straight pin that was 6 feet long. Same with the straws, all straws are not created equal. Larger diameter straws would be stronger. Candle the egg, check it for cracks using a strong light in a dark room. If you need to drop it 2 meters, don't add in the length of the straws if it can fall over sucessfully. One thing for sure is you want to test it before you take it to school. If it sometimes works, make several of them. Your rules don't say you only get one chance.

Anyway, that's something to think about. I'd be interested to hear what works. Good luck.

Answer 3

Weave a double-walled basket from the straws. Keep the straw baskets from unravelling by piercing through the straws with the pins. The inner basket should be just big enough for the egg, and the outer basket should be as bumpy as possible. This way the outer basket will absorb the force of the impact and the inner basket will cushion the egg.

Answer 4

What I would do isd see if I wcould encircle the egg with straws (tucking one end into another) and driving two pins through the straw to hold it in place, then constructs a kind of star to carry the egg.. Six feet. You have a shot

Answer 5

create a small cradle using straws to hold the egg. make sure it surrounds the entire egg. the create a structure larger than the cradle to go around it. the cradle for the egg will be in the center. this way, the outside structure takes the impact and hopefully your egg is okay. use the pins to hold the straws together. dont forget you can cut the straws.
good luck!

Answer 6

can you add a detail and post a little more about this project for me? then i can help you out. What EXACTLY are you allowed and Not allowed to use? Because if that is all you can use (straws & pins) then it is not possible. I know when I was in school, we could use almost anything we could think of with very few restrictions...so please re-phrase that for me so I can help.

Answer 7

That's a tough one, when I was in school we could use cardboard and foam. Can you use a needle nose pliers to bend the pins to connect the straws in a protective structure for the egg?

Answer 8

The key is to WEAVE the straws into a 5x5 lattice type structure.

Use the pins to hold the weave points.

Good luck.

Mysstere

Answer 9

is that all you can do? in the second grade we did that ...this works REALLY good: wrap up your egg in like thick layers of paper towels...then take a large bag and blow as much air into it as you can, and close it (like a ziplock bag) perfecto! good LUCK! we dropped it from like idk, 3 stories and it didn't crack! :)