Egg Drop Calculations
Part 1: Find Velocity of your egg drop device when it hits the ground
1. Use the golf ball drop time to determine the height of the drop = h.
Assume g = 9.81m/s/s for the golf ball.
2. Use the time your device fell and the height of the drop h to calculate
the average velocity of your drop or Vave = h/t
3. The final or “hit” velocity is Vave x 2.
Part 2: Determining the acceleration of your egg (while it’s slowing
down) and calculating the force.
1. Estimate the distance over which your egg decelerated from the
time your device first touched the ground until the egg stopped.
This is a rough estimate, likely a small number of centimeters.
2. Using your estimate for the distance d the egg moved while
decelerating, and you know the initial and final velocities of your
egg, determine the time it took for your egg to decelerate. You’ll
need your average velocity = d / t (time to stop). Solve for t.
3. Now solve for the egg’s acceleration , d = ½ a x t x t.
4. Finally, the Force on the egg = mass x acceleration.
5. Be sure to work in meters for distance and kg for mass.