Extra eggs from your celebrations this weekend?
Put them to good use with some eggy experiments!
Egg in a Bottle
Squeeze an egg into a glass bottle without touching it in this classic experiment!
Supplies:
Hard boiled egg, peeled
Glass bottle, with opening just barely smaller than the egg
Strip of paper, approximately 8″ x 1″
Matches
Directions:
Use the match to light the strip of paper. While still burning, place the strip inside the glass jar. Quickly place the hard boiled egg on top of the jar opening. After a moment, the flame will go out and the egg will be sucked into the jar.
Boiled or Raw
Have you ever wonder if an egg is raw or hard boiled? Here’s an easy way to check without cracking a shell.
Supplies:
Hard boiled egg
Raw egg
Directions:
On a large flat surface (table, counter top, floor…) spin a hard boiled egg and a raw egg. Stop each egg and then release them. The hardboiled egg will remain still, but the raw egg will start to wobble or even spin again…thanks to Newton’s 1st Law. Newton stated that an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless a force acts upon it. The liquid inside the raw egg, continues to spin even after you have stopped the shell. When you remove your finger from the shell, the moving liquid cause the shell to wobble.
Walking on Egg Shells
Can you walk on eggs shells?
Supplies:
2 Cartons of eggs
A friend
(A towel or two, just in case!)
Directions:
Prepare – Place the egg cartons flat on the floor (place a towel underneath if you want a security net). If the egg carton has points that stick up higher than the eggs, cut them down below the egg height. Inspect the eggs to make sure there are no cracks.
Stepping Up – Have your friend support some of your weight as you step onto the eggs – spread your foot out across the eggs as much as possible, with your weight evenly on all parts of your foot. Do the same with your other foot.
What’s Happening – Because of their shape (an arch) an egg shell is very strong when a force is applied equally on all sides, even though it is easy to crack at a single point. If you take an egg in your hand, with fingers wrapped all the way around, and squeeze, the egg is very hard to break. When you distribute your weight across the eggs evenly, it is spread across the arch and it can withstand your weight. Look for arches in buildings, bridges and other architecture to see how this strong shape is used.
