SURVIVE OR SPLAT!Thank You Waco Fire Department for Helping Young Scientists Design and Compete

Can you design a device that will protect an egg from a 20 foot fall?
What about a 30 foot fall?
What about a 60 foot fall????  

Rapoport 4th Grade Science Club members were up for the challenge designing and competing to see whose egg would SURVIVE and whose would SPLAT!










In the classroom, students discussed basic physics of on how to design for impact.  Two primary methods were employed in their designs: (1) slow the rate of fall and (2) cushion the egg at impact.

Each student was given basic kit components then allowed to choose a few additional items to include in their own design.  Eggs were placed into each device and then........ they were put to the test!  With the help of the Waco Fire Department and one of their ladder trucks, students were able to test their device.

Eight of the designs were successful at the sixty foot height!  Wow that is REALLY Impressive!
(An object dropped from 60 feet is traveling at 62 miles per hour when it reaches the ground.) 
Students used various design strategies to slow the fall and protect the eggs ensuring they would SURVIVE and not SPLAT.


Congratulations to all of our students for some fantastic designs and thanks to the Waco Fire Department for your encouragement to some future scientists, engineers, doctors, and fire fighters!