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About Dan Fink
Expertise
Though my experience is mostly in the fields of electricity, magnetism, and physics, I have a broad science background. My career is in the field of alternative power sources -- solar, wind, water and battery power. But any questions about electricity, magnetism, energy conservation, power generation, electric motors, and even general physics are very welcome--especially from kids. They ask the best questions of all! I pride myself in answering science questions accurately, with ideas for SAFE, easy experiments that kids can perform by themselves--and that let them prove the answers to their own satisfaction. I think science should be fun, and available to everyone, regardless of age.
Experience
I have volunteered in our local public schools for 5 years. I currently make presentations at our schools about electricity and magnetism, with a focus on solar, wind, water and other alternative power sources. I try to demonstrate at our schools how easy it is to make electricity, with simple devices using spinning magnets and coils of wire--powered by wind, water, bicycles, gerbils...etc. And of course solar panels! I am the webmaster of Otherpower.com, an alternative energy website. I have lived 10 miles from the nearest power pole for 11 years--I make all my own electricity from scratch with sun, wind and water.
Publications
Otherpower.com
Wondermagnet.com
Education/Credentials
BA Technical Journalism
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You are here: Experts > Science > Science/Nature for Kids > Science for Kids > egg drop
Expert: Dan Fink
Date: 5/12/2008
Subject: egg drop
Question
Deer Dan
My mom says that by putting a raw egg in a vacuum bag and sucking out the air, and rapping the egg in bubble wrap and dropping it 15 feet, the egg wont break because there is not air...is that right?
Answer
Hello Harry.
The vacuum bag or air has nothing to do with it...
The key is distribution of force--you need to spread the force of impact evenly around the entire surface area of the egg. There should be NO places where the padding does not touch the egg. I'm guessing that's what your Mom was getting at. Then, you need to slow down the egg as slowly as possible.....the best trick is layers of different-density foam. Denser foam around the egg, changing to less dense foam farther away from the egg. It's just like how a football or bicycling helmet works.
Bubble wrap does work very well, however. Give your Mom some credit there. Use the smaller bubble type wrapped tightly around the egg, then larger bubble type outside. Just make sure that the entire surface of the egg is touching the padding. If there's a gap--that's where the egg will break.
If you wrapped the egg with small bubble wrap, THEN shrunk the vacuum bag around the bubble wrap -- that would be an excellent way to go about it. It would assure full contact of the padding.
DAN
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