Week 5 Lab

 1. Big Question: How can we design a safe playground surface? In lab, we designed an experiment by dropping an egg onto a surface in a bowl. The surface was made up of different materials that were both softer and harder. Our group had to drop the egg onto this surface from one meter without it breaking. We discovered that the more gradually the egg slows down, the smaller the force. We can also look at the experiment through an energy lens. Elastic deformation of the surface stores potential energy and transfers back to the egg through kinetic energy. This is why we see the egg bounce. Sometimes the surface isn't elastic. If we drop the egg on sand, the sand grains fly off. This is kinetic energy and it does not get transferred back to the egg.