Objective:
To construct a container that will protect a raw egg when dropped from a height of 6.0 meters.
Purpose:
To encourage research and development in an attempt to build the best performing egg protector.
Description:
Students will have to determine how to construct a container that will protect a raw egg when dropped a distance of 6.0 meters. This event allows students a chance to behave as real world scientists or engineers when faced with a problem that has to be solved. They may work as individuals, or as part of a team of up to three students.
When building the device, students will essentially follow scientific process in determining how to construct a container that will protect the egg when dropped the specified distance. By the time the students come to the Expo, they will have learned, through trial and error, how to protect an egg when dropped 6.0 meters. This advanced preparation will be demonstrated at the competition when they present their best efforts.
Rules:
- Students may work as individuals or as part of a team with a maximum of three students per team.
- Each team will designate one and only one student to drop the container. The drop will be done from a height of 6.0 meters.
- To qualify for competition, each container must meet the following specifications: a. The container must have a maximum mass of 100 grams when empty. b. The container must be composed only of some combination of these materials: paper, masking tape, cardboard, balsa wood, rubber bands, feathers, and glue. c. The container may have fins and other aerodynamic refinements, but the whole assembly at its greatest expansion must fit within a box having dimensions of (12 cm) x (12 cm) x (30 cm).
- Medium size raw eggs will be used. Students will provide their own eggs, and carefully record the results of the testing.
Notebook information:
A. Each person is required to keep his/her own notebook. The notebooks are for the students to enter their ideas, research information and sources, experimentation procedures and data, graphs, analyses, and conclusions. All entries must be dated. Once an entry is made, it is not destroyed. An incorrect entry will be crossed out with a single line, and followed by a corrected entry (or followed by a note telling where to find the corrected entry).
B. At the end of the project, details from the notebooks will be used to make a display poster. If it is a team project, then details from each of their notebooks will be combined to make a single display poster. All of the notebooks are required to be at the display. A summary sheet of notebook contents can be placed on top of each notebook to assist judge review. Photographs of a few pages can be included as part of the virtual presentation.
Display information:
A. Each team is to provide a project display that must be within the following maximum sizes:
Depth (front to back): 30 inches or 76 centimeters
Width (side to side): 48 inches or 122 centimeters.
Height (floor to top): 108 inches or 274 centimeters.
B. The project display should follow these guidelines:
(1) Display is within size limitations
(2) Title and objective at the top;
(3) Display is neat, organized & appealing;
(4) Should use proper spelling and grammar.
(5) Reasonable prediction of how well they would do
(6) Should mention other approaches that could have been used, and/or other areas that could have been investigated.
(7) Notebooks can be shown in the display.
Competition:
A. Each entry will be displayed to show material used in its construction, massed, and then fitted into the box as specified in Rule 3c. Any device that does not meet all requirements will be disqualified.
B. Once qualified, the entrant will place the egg into the container, and then drop it from the designated height. Take photos or videos of the container and testing.
Scoring the Competition: The maximum score for the competition is 70 points. The container will be inspected for breakage of the egg. The efficiency of the container whose egg survives the fall will be determined by the mass of the empty container. The team whose container has the smallest mass will be the winner and will receive 70 points. The team’s final scoring for the competition will be determined by their container mass in relation to the winning container’s mass. Scores will be determined as follows:
Container Score
= [(Lowest Container Mass) / (This Container Mass)] X 70
= ______________
Scoring of Lab Notebook, Poster Board and Presentation (30 points):
The maximum score is 30 points and considers the following:
- Display is within size limitations
- The poster shows Title and Objective at the top.
- The display was neat, organized, and appealing.
- Use of proper spelling and grammar
- The team made a compelling case for their prediction of how well they would do.
- The team was able to point out any newly discovered flaws in their original plan and to offer suggestions on how these flaws might be overcome.
- Notebook(s) can be present
Overall Scoring of the Event: (100 points)
Competition Score + Display and Presentation Score
( ) + ( ) = ____________ points
