Re: What should a student measure in the Jello Egg Drop Lab?

Hello Brian,

I think that it would take some fairly sophisticated equipment to accurately measure results of the egg drop experiment: An accelerometer would be needed and could be mounted to the 'top' of the egg to produce a force/time curve for the negative acceleration as the egg slows to a stop while in the jello. You would then have the maximum g-force seen by the egg. And of course, the associated electronics would be needed to record and display the accelerometer output.

It might be tricky to keep the accelerometer on top- that is to keep the egg from rotating as it falls. One way might be to make an artificial egg with the same weight and external dimensions (wood with imbedded lead weights?). Then by drilling a hole in the fake egg it could be guided by a thin rod that extends upward out of the jello. This would prevent spinning and keep the accelerometer on top.

Another good measurement would be to determine the maximum linear displacement into the jello. This would allow you to determine the total displaced volume of the jello.

The jello would give some spring-back to the egg due to the minor elastic properties of the gel. Therefore, the maximum displacement measurement would be a little tricky. A high speed camera would work nicely. (Note that I did not go at all into the elastic properties of the jello in my original response. I thought that it was already getting too complex for what the student was asking).

It would be interesting to equate the kinetic energy lost by the egg with the displaced volume of jello..

If your school happens to be near a mechanical test laboratory, you might contact them and see if they could help you out with the equipment, if you do not have access to the items that I mentioned above.

I hope that this helps,

Good Luck,

Jay Shapiro