Egg Drop

Description:  To design a container to keep a raw egg from breaking when dropped from a pre-determined height while keeping within a budget.

Number of Participants:  2

VERY IMPORTANT! 

1. THE RULES HAVE CHANGED. PLEASE READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT TO UNDERSTAND THE EVENT AND SCORING.

2. THE JUDGES RESERVED THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY ANY STRUCTURE THAT DOES NOT CONFORM TO THESE GUIDELINES.

Schedule for Event

The first three half-hour sessions of the Olympiad are reserved for building egg structures.  Your team must choose a setup time and sign-up ahead of time.  All participating students will report to the specified meeting room at their selected building session in order pick their construction materials and assemble their egg containers. Instructions will be given within the first five minutes of the session.  All attempts will be made to start each building session on time and all assembly must take place during the same half-hour session.  Dropping will take place between 11:00 and 12:30.  Teams may report to the dropping location at any time between 11:00 and 12:00, and dropping will take place on a first come first served basis.

Rules regarding the dropping of the Egg

1. Each team will create a container for an egg that will be dropped up to four times from four different heights:

(note: since the location for this event is still to be determined, this may change)

a. 1st - from about a general standing height of students

b. 2nd - from the first landing of the drop area

c. 3rd - part way up the stairs to the second level

d. 4th - from the second floor balcony

2. All drops will be done by the students from specified heights.

3. Once the building sessions have completed, no changes or adjustments may be made to the structures.

4. Between drops no repairs or changes may be made to the project.

5. The same container must be used for all four drops.

6. If the egg comes loose from the structure and breaks, it is out of the competition. The drop at which the egg broke will be noted.

7. No cracking may occur in order to progress to the next round.

Rules regarding the egg

1. The egg will be a Commercial Standard Grade "A' (Large Size) chicken egg.

2. The egg will be weighed and marked prior to the competition.

3. The egg cannot be tampered with or altered physically or chemically.

4. Each group will receive ONLY one egg.

5. The egg will be inspected before handing it to the student. After the egg is handed to the student it is considered to be in play. If the egg is damaged or broken during construction or any other time prior to the drop the team will be disqualified from this event.

Rules regarding project construction

1. Only the two students per team are allowed into the assembly area to design & build the container. Coaching from adults and other students is not allowed and will result in disqualification of the team receiving coaching.

2. Teams must report to the building session on time and must construct their container within that half-hour session.

3. In order to promote quick thinking, on-the-spot problem solving, and cooperation, the exact materials will not be revealed until two weeks before the event. Students should fill out the requisition form (available on the website 2 weeks before the event) for materials prior to the event. When the students report to the event during their designated build time they will work with a judge to gather their materials. The materials requested must be at or under the budget allotted. All left over materials must be returned to the judges after the build process.

4. What follows is a possible list of materials. Note: If the materials are available, parachutes, wings and rotors will be permitted.

An exact list of materials and requisition form with costs will be published on March 8, 2010. The requisition form must be filled out prior to the event. Failure to do so may decrease build time allotted to the team.

Sample materials:

A container such as a milk carton, Styrofoam cup, pint ice cream containter, cardboard box, etc.

Cushioning materials such as cotton balls, bubblewrap, newspaper, foamie, etc.

Binding materials such as tape, string, rubber bands, etc.

Structural materials such pipe cleaners, Popsicle sticks, plastic embroidery mesh, bamboo skewers, etc.

Miscellaneous materials may include fabric, weights, and other surprise items that will be offered the day of the event for "purchase" if a team's budget allows.

5. After the materials have been selected an egg will be given to each team. The egg will be placed in a clear sandwich bag in order to contain any mess, but nothing else may be in the bag with the egg, or added to the bag prior to placement in the project.

6. The bag may not be inflated or used as a building material.

7. The container must be constructed so that the egg can be examined between each round. After each drop, the contestants will be required to show their egg to the judges. The egg may not be completely encased or sealed within materials as to make it invisible to the judges. The egg must be easily inserted and removed by the judges. Judges must be able to completely examine the egg without deconstructing essential portions of the project. Other than replacing the egg, no other adjustments may be made between drops, no additional materials may be added, including tape.

Rules regarding scoring

1. As the egg is dropped from each level it will be noted where breaks.

2. Final placement in the event will be awarded based on the level at which the egg breaks. Within each level the lowest budget wins.

3. All contest judge decisions are final.

Tie-breaker

Lowest budget. If a tie still exists, lowest mass of structure that will be determined by data collected before drops occur.

NOTA BENE:  Because this is an open event, all coaches should make it point to discuss with students and parents (as much as possible) that the judges are in charge.  

Also advise parents that no coaching can be provided.