Mr. Alpert’s Advanced Physics class recently applied the laws of physics to a new twist on the classic egg drop experiment. Using Hooke’s Law which describes the manner in which springs stretch, students were challenged to build a bungee cord comprised of linked rubber bands that would allow a plastic bag containing an egg to be dropped from a four meter (13 foot) height without damaging the egg. The team that came closest to the floor without breaking the egg would win. Teams were not allowed to use the test site in advance but were challenged to base their final project on a test drop of two meters. Day one resulted in conservative estimates which covered only half of the course. Day two showed that two teams were able to come within four centimeters (one and one half inches) off the floor. No eggs were mistreated in this experiment!
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