Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Gather your materials.
Step 2
Cut one leg off of the pair of pantyhose. Then, cut the leg in half.
Step 3
Make a small hole about one third of the way down the container with the scissors. Then, make a second hole on the opposite side of the container.
Tip
If you’re having trouble making the hole, make a tiny hole with a pushpin first!
Step 4
Place an egg in the middle of the cut piece of pantyhose. Then, tie a knot on either side of the egg.
Step 5
Put the pantyhose egg into the container. Pull one end of the pantyhose through one corner hole. Then, pull the other end through the other hole.
Step 6
Pull the pantyhose tight and tie a knot on either end of the pantyhose that’s sticking out of the container.
Step 7
Screw the lid on and take your box to a second story window. Then, drop it! Did your egg survive the landing?
Tip
If your egg broke, try using a bigger container!
Learn more
When an egg drops from a second-story window, it picks up 32 feet/second (10 meters/second) of speed for every second it falls . By the time the egg reaches the ground, it’s going at about 24 miles per hour (37 km/h). And then, suddenly, its speed drops to 0 (usually along with a big SPLAT).
The fall itself doesn’t crack the egg — it’s the stopping that’s the problem. When the egg hits the ground and stops, its speed changes very quickly. In physics terms, the egg has a high acceleration. The more acceleration the egg has, the more force it feels from the impact. So, a sudden change in speed means a lot of force.But the reverse is also true: the less acceleration the egg has, the less force it feels from hitting the ground. If there’s a way to slow down how quickly the egg’s speed drops to 0 miles per hour, then it can survive the fall AND the stop at the end.
The contraption above is one of many different kinds you can build to achieve this goal. Some contraptions suspend the egg with something elastic like this one. Some are all about padding. Others even use parachutes! What else could you try?