Outreach: The Egg-Drop Challenge

As part of the outreach project we ran a house competition for year 7s: The Egg-Drop Challenge.

Each team is given an egg - using materials they must create a capsule to protect the egg which will be dropped from a 3m height. Those that survive must give a short presentation, of which the winners will be decided on.

We set up a Powerpoint presentation, printed fake money, printed certificates and name tags for 'Project Manager', 'Business Managers' and 'Engineers'. Each team was given £10, 000 (fake) and an egg. They could choose from a price list and decide which equipment they thought best to protect the egg. Balloons, string, paper, rubber bands, straws, sponge and nylon were all on offer. This led to a wide range on innovative designs from nylon parachutes and balloons to slow down the falling egg, to sponge protection and even a straw container. Each team also had to compose a one minute presentation, which would help determine a winning group.

The drop tests were enjoyed. Just under half the teams were successful with their egg surviving. They went on to give their presentation to a panel of judges. After all the tests, the judges added up scores to find the top three teams. Certificates were awarded, including special awards for the best project manager, engineer and presentation.

The year 7s enjoyed the competition and it was a good test of science and teamwork. This gave a taste of what we do in CanSat, but on a much smaller scale, and hopefully some of the teams will help the future Hertswood CanSat team in years to come!