My high school physics class at Bucharest Christian Academy is doing a unit on momentum and energy. When a fast-moving object hits another object, its fate depends on how long it takes for it to come to a complete stop. A skydiver whose parachute fails to open might survive if they hit a haystack or a sewage sludge pond instead of bare ground. The front end of a car is designed to crumple when it hits a wall or tree, extending the amount of time it takes for the passengers to go from 30 km/h to a complete stop and perhaps saving their lives.

In order to gain a better understanding of how cushioning a sudden stop can save lives, the students had to design a container that would protect a raw egg so it would not break when dropped from the patio on the roof of BCA, three stories up (as Americans count stories). Two of the students’ eggs survived, and two didn’t.

More pictures can be found at BCA’s The Virtual Refrigerator.

Grace and Peace