The Challenge:
Your goal is to design some kind of protective container that can hold an egg and help it survive a drop off of the school roof.
General Rules:
It would be important to carefully understand how scoring will work in order to improve your final score. The final score will be determined as follows:
Survivability / (Mass + Size - Time Aloft)
Survivability --> 2000 if the egg survives undamaged; 1250 if "Injured"; 500 if a "Non-Survivor"
Mass --> The measured mass of the device in grams
Size --> The widest measurement in centimeters.
Time --> The length of time the device stays in the air, measured from the moment it is released to the moment it hits the ground in seconds.
For grading purposes in Mr. Campbell's class, your grade will be determined based on your final score. Three categories (Survivor, Injured, and Non-Survivor) will be used. Once the final category of each team has been determined, that team's score will be scored as follows:
(Team Score / Category Best Score) - Category Score %
A deduction will be applied (Category Score) for anyone whose's category is either Injured (11%) or Non-Survivor (21%). This system will help ensure that anyone whose egg does not "survive" still can get a passing score, but will not earn an A as the device would be considered unsuccessful.
HINTS:
Your goal is to design some kind of protective container that can hold an egg and help it survive a drop off of the school roof.
General Rules:
- Students may turn in a device as a solo build or as a team build. This choice will not affect the final score.
- Student teams may consist of no more than 3 members.
- Mr. Campbell will provide the eggs to be used during the launch. Student provided eggs cannot be used during launch, but students are welcome to test the device on their own at home. "Consider the following:" if a device can survive a drop from a second story window, it may be able to survive a drop from the school roof. It is not recommended that students test from their own roofs for safety reasons.
- The device may be constructed of any material EXCEPT metal, glass, or other shatterable materials for safety reasons. Store bought "egg dropping" kits will be disqualified. The device must be of your own design.
- The device must pass freely within a 30 cm diameter circular hoop when the hoop is turned at all angles, including diagonally. Freely means that the shape of the hoop cannot be changed to make it fit around your device. The device cannot be modified once this test is performed.
- The device must be designed in a way that allows the egg to be easily put inside and easily checked following launch.
- The egg must stay inside the device throughout the launch.
- The device must be labeled with your name/group's name.
- The device's "size" will be measured for scoring purposes by measuring the widest point of the device.
- Devices may contain a parachute in order to increase the amount of time it stays in the air. The parachute will not be counted as part of the 30 cm rule or be part of the "size" measurement.
- If the device does not meet the guidelines, it will earn a point deduction of 10%.
- The egg must be a raw, unaltered large egg.
- No students will drop the device.
- When the device stops moving, the owner of the device will open and remove the egg. The owner must show an unbroken egg to Mr. Campbell or Mr. Chaney for the device to be considered a success. (A video camera may be used to record footage showing both a device owner and the egg since teachers will be on the roof).
- Any egg considered chipped or cracked but nothing is flowing out will be consider a "injured". Any egg that is broken and the insides are flowing out will be considered a "non-survivor."
It would be important to carefully understand how scoring will work in order to improve your final score. The final score will be determined as follows:
Survivability / (Mass + Size - Time Aloft)
Survivability --> 2000 if the egg survives undamaged; 1250 if "Injured"; 500 if a "Non-Survivor"
Mass --> The measured mass of the device in grams
Size --> The widest measurement in centimeters.
Time --> The length of time the device stays in the air, measured from the moment it is released to the moment it hits the ground in seconds.
For grading purposes in Mr. Campbell's class, your grade will be determined based on your final score. Three categories (Survivor, Injured, and Non-Survivor) will be used. Once the final category of each team has been determined, that team's score will be scored as follows:
(Team Score / Category Best Score) - Category Score %
A deduction will be applied (Category Score) for anyone whose's category is either Injured (11%) or Non-Survivor (21%). This system will help ensure that anyone whose egg does not "survive" still can get a passing score, but will not earn an A as the device would be considered unsuccessful.
HINTS:
- Consider Newton's Laws of Motion. What forces will affect the device throughout its launch?
- Dropping from a 2nd floor window is a safe way to test your device. Get a parent to help if needed.
- Do you have any materials that might absorb the force of impact?
- A good device cares more about design than about size.
- Do research to learn about ideas and materials before building your device.
- Just because you found something online that someone claims works does not mean it will actually work for you. They may be following different rules. Peanut Butter Jar ideas are not a guarantee! While seemingly simple to make and effective if you watch videos, Mr. Campbell has seen students try this and fail. Yes, there are successful examples on Youtube...but you have no idea how many people have NOT uploaded a video because it did not work.