Monday 19 August 2013

Can you stand on eggs without them cracking?

Honi has seen this experiment about and wanted to try it so badly that she asks every time she sees eggs in the shop.  So back to the question: Can you stand on eggs without them cracking?




First you will need:

2 boxes of half a dozen eggs 
Someone willing to stand on the eggs

STEP ONE
Find a brave person.

STEP TWO
Open a 2 boxes of 6 raw eggs.  Remove any that are cracked and then make sure they’re all pointing in the same direction - it doesn't matter which way round whether it be the pointy end or the flatter, rounder end.

STEP THREE
Set them on the floor

STEP FOUR
With completely bare feet (do remove socks) hold on to a chair or someone’s hand standing next to your boxes of eggs.  

STEP FIVE
Carefully step onto the eggs with your entire foot. TRY TO EQUALLY DISTRIBUTE YOUR WEIGHT OVER THE EGGS.  Why? - Because Pressure is force per unit of area.
 
If you do it right you will equally distribute your weight and this will equally distribute the pressure on the eggs across all 12 eggs.  When you feel this is the case let go of hands, or chairs.
 
Did it work? 
 
Were there any damaged eggs afterwards?
 
Would it have worked if you were wearing shoes?  What about heels?
 
Would it work if we put a plank of wood over them, or a book?
 
Honi (age 5) and her first attempt...



Why and how does this work?
It's like magic, I mean an egg!  It's full of liquid and surrounded by a shell weak enough for a baby chick to peck its way out of so why does it work?  It's all about their architecture. 

The architecture is astounding.  What makes the egg so strong is simply their arch shape; it is the arched shape that makes an egg able to handle large amounts of pressure without cracking.  It's important that it is so strong because hens must sit on them to keep them warm, in order for the chicks to grow healthy and strong so they're able to hatch out.

Architects use arches too, lots of architecture is inspired by nature and arches are used for designing strong building and bridges.
 
If you want to learn more about structure you might like to read...
 
 

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