Question

Table 3: Egg Drop Data
Paper Placement	Egg Observations
3 Sheets at the Top of the Bowl	Egg did not break
3 Sheets Spaced About 2 to 3 cm Apart	Egg broke the first piece of paper
No paper	Egg did not break

Post-Lab Questions

1. Did you come up with a design that prevents the egg from breaking? If yes, explain how it worked. If not, explain why.

2. Why did adding layers of paper help prevent the egg from breaking open rather than one thick layer with the same number of sheets?

Hint: Over how much time is the force applied in each case?

Answer 1

Concept used - The question requires the concept of impulse which is defined as

From this formula we see that force is inversely proportional to the time. This means that more the time taken by a particle to hit the surface, lesser will be the force exerted on it and hence this will keep the object from breaking

Step- by- step answer

Ans-1

The best design to prevent egg from breaking will be to use 3 sheets at the top bowl, as is proposed in the first arrangement of the table. Had we used the 2nd design, 1 egg fallen will break first sheet, 2nd egg fallen will break 2nd sheet and once all the sheets are broken, the next egg fallen will break definitely.

Thus we can conclude that the best arrangement would be the first arrangement

Ans-2

Adding layers of paper acts as a cushion which absorbs some of the force as egg fallen. Each paper absorbs the impact over the time, thereby increasing the time, and as per our formula, lesser force will be exerted on it.

When the egg falls, top-most layer absorbs all the energy of the falling egg and passes it to the layer underneath, which then passes it to the layer beneath and this process repeats. So the egg when coming in contact with many layers of paper does not experience equal and opposite energy, as it would in one single thick layer of papers, since this process is delayed by the many layers of paper, passing their energy to below layer.

Thus many layer paper is better than one single layer.