Egg Drop Math/Lessons Learned

The math behind the egg drop project:

Figure 1: Potential and kinetic energy equations for the egg drop.

Basically, the egg's potential energy and kinetic energy remains constant throughout the drop; however, the respective values of the potential and kinetic energy change. Before the egg is dropped, the egg has a certain amount of potential energy. After the egg is dropped and as the egg is falling, the original potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. Right before the egg makes contact with the egg catcher, the egg has reached its peak value of kinetic energy and has essentially no potential energy.

Note: The "m" in the parentheses in the last step of the math stands for "height in meters."

Lessons Learned

1. One person never has all the ideas and/or resources to complete the project

Megan and I depended on one another to brainstorm ideas we thought might work for the design of our contraption. Additionally, we searched the Internet for successful precedents for our project; however, we didn't find any products that matched our criteria. So Megan and I worked to design a product we thought would work. We both contributed to the design and worked to combine our ideas. JTEC (our egg catcher) was a combination of both our valuable efforts!

2. It's ok to go back to the drawing board

Megan and I revised our design several times in order to achieve a satisfactory final product. As we went on in the design process, new knowledge came to our attention, which encouraged us to rethink our original plans. Our product developed in quality due to these opportunities for revision.

3. Asking for help is not a weakness

Throughout the design process, Megan and I asked and received help from other teams. Cameron taught us how to drop the egg to increase our accuracy and precision (terms we learned about in a previous chapter). Team Canada helped us drop our last egg by holding the measuring tape 16 ft in the air while we set up our contraption. Engineers cannot survive alone. We are collaborative by nature.

Overall, I really enjoyed this project and I think I have a better understanding of the engineering design process and its importance! Doing the work takes time, but it's definitely necessary!