AboutDan 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
Co author of the book "Homebrew Wind Power" ISBN 978-0-9819201-0-8
My articles appear regularly in such magazines as Home Power and Back Home Education/Credentials BA Technical Journalism
Question Dear Dan,
My teacher organized a experiment called the EGGDROP is worth about 20% of my grade and I want a very good grade. I was thinking about how to make a little machine thing ior somethin that would stop the egg from braking or craking after getting thrown from 10 feet high using the following materials:
2 styrofoam cups
1 cardboard box (size of a shoe box or smaller)
1 piece of construction paper
1 piece of normal paper
.5 meter of string
.5 meter of regular tape (if using scotch tape instead of regular 25cm only)
2 straws
dont forget that the weight regulation is 100g or under.
please E mail me as fast as u can and PLEASE CALL IT EGGDROP or ill get confused and accidentally deleated THANKS FOR UR HELP WRIGHT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE today is saturday december 3 and its due on wednesday of next week
OH AND ONE MORE THING THE EGG SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET OUT AND IN OF THE CONTAINER THE TEACHER WILL RECEIVE THE NEST OR WUT EVER U WANT TO CALL IT OPEN IT AND PUT THE EGG INSIDE :)
Answer Hopefully this gets through --- allexperts sets the email subject, not me.
The tricks for the egg drop are to 1) distribute the force of impact evenly around the eggshell, and 2) to make the egg in the can *slow down as slowly as possible*. If it slows down too fast, it will break. As you probably already know, you can break an eggshell by hand easily if you use a nail or sharp object, but if you try and crush it between your hands it's difficult to break.
The best solution (I've tried it and it works) is layers of foam of differing density....stiff, closed-cell foam (like from a backpacker's sleeping pad) right around the egg, and layers of foam around that that are less stiff (open-cell foam, like from a couch cushion), completely filling the can. I got this idea from: http://users.adelphia.net/~jberger5/eggdrop.html
which also has lots more information and advice from physicists on this experiment. Be sure to check out that webpage!
The layers of different-density padding make the egg slow down as slowly as possible, and having the egg completely cradled with no gaps ensures the best distribution of force around it's entire shell.
Sounds like you are limited by the materials you can use. If you can't use foam, you'll have to do some creative thinking. Stiffer materials around the egg, softer ones around those, always being sure the egg is completely surrounded by padding. I'd cradle it in the styrofoam cups, and use the paper and other materials as outer padding.
