Egg Drop - Newton's Law of Inertia

Warning: Always wash your hands well with soap and water after handling raw eggs. Some raw eggs contain salmonella bacteria that can make you really sick!

1. Fill the large drinking glass about three-quarters full with water and center the pie pan on top of the glass. Place the cardboard tube on the plate, positioning it directly over the water. Carefully set the egg (or practice ball) on top of the cardboard tube.
2. With your writing hand, smack the edge of the pie pan horizontally. Make sure you follow-through (tennis, anyone?). It’s important that you use a pretty solid hit, so plan on chasing the plate and tube.
3. Your astonished guests will watch the egg plop nicely into the water. It’s even more fun to watch someone else try to drop the egg. Science is so cool!

Try testing longer tubes, more or less water, different liquids in the glass, different water containers, and heavier or lighter falling objects. 

How does it work?

Credit for this one has to go to Sir Isaac Newton and his First Law of Motion. He said that since the egg is not moving while it sits on top of the tube, that’s what it wants to do - not move. You applied enough force to the pie pan to cause it to zip out from under the cardboard tube (there’s not much friction against the drinking glass). The edge of the pie pan hooked the bottom of the tube, which then sailed off with the pan. Basically, you knocked the support out from under the egg. For a brief nanosecond or two, the egg didn’t move because it was already stationary (not moving). But then, as usual, the force of gravity took over and pulled the egg straight down toward the center of the Earth.

Also, according to Mr. Newton’s First Law, once the egg was moving, it didn’t want to stop. The container of water interrupted the egg’s fall, providing a safe place for the egg to stop moving so you could recover it unbroken. The gravity-pushed egg caused the water to splash out. Did someone get wet?

Additional Info

Learn all about force & motion with more fun experiment kits.