At a Glance: Students examine a variety of structure designs and materials that are suitable for protecting an egg during a free fall. Then, they construct a container for delivering a raw egg safely to the ground when dropped from a specified height.
Concepts:
Students gain insight into the use of materials and techonology for the protection of fragile cargo. They can discuss the real-world applications in the automotive and aerospace areas.
Details: Students brainstorm to develop a “vehicle” that will protect an egg when it is dropped from a specified height. Videos, books, and an Internet search may provide some initial ideas, but students should attempt to create a vehicle of their own design.
Balsa wood, rubber bands, straws, string, adhesives, and any other available materials should be provided for construction.
Problem solving in the construction process will provide many opportunities for contact with specific math, science, and technology concepts. When construction is complete, students test the crashworthiness of their container by releasing it from a height onto the Drop Zone, an electronic device that times the descent of an object dropped onto it.
At a Glance: Students examine a variety of structure designs and materials that are suitable for protecting an egg during a free fall. Then, they construct a container for delivering a raw egg safely to the ground when dropped from a specified height.
