How strong is an egg? Eggs seem pretty fragile. Go ahead and drop one, it breaks pretty easily doesn’t it. Our favorite egg drop challenge is a fun way to learn this! An egg or specifically the eggshell is actually quite strong, but just how strong? Try this quick eggshell strength experiment to find out! We love simple STEM activities for kids!
Explore Eggshell Strength For STEM
Now, I have always wanted to do that awesome looking walk on a dozen eggs experiment, but boy, do I just see a mess waiting to happen!
We might do it, though, because this easy eggshell strength experiment below showed us how strong eggs can be. We didn’t take the eggs to the point of breaking because I needed to use them, but we did see that they could hold a good amount of weight. A lot more than you would think!
I am sure you have dropped an egg to know how quickly and efficiently they break open! The shells seem so fragile and delicate. How could they possibly hold up a tower of books or 2 quarts of water
Grab some eggs, and find out how much weight an egg can support.
We tried out a couple of ways to test out our eggshell strength. We used books, and we used water. We also tried out a single egg. Is your egg level? Just a little fun my son was having with the egg.
Eggshell Science Project
Science projects are an excellent tool for older kiddos to show what they know about science! Plus, they can be used in various environments, including classrooms, homeschool, and groups.
Kids can take everything they have learned about using the scientific method, stating a hypothesis, choosing variables, and analyzing and presenting data.
Want to turn this eggshell strength experiment into an excellent science fair project? Check out these helpful resources.
Get your FREE Science Experiments Calendar!
Eggshell Strength Experiment
Extend the experiment by comparing the strength of different types of eggs. Learn more about using the scientific method with kids.
Supplies:
- Eggs {3}
- Plastic bottle caps {2 per egg}
- Heavy items to place on top of eggs, such as books, cans of food, bricks, etc
- Cardboard
- Water and container
Instructions:
STEP 1. Set up your eggs with plastic bottle caps.
TIP: The bottle caps are for the eggs because eggs roll right? It would be challenging to stack items on top of the eggs if they were rolling away. Give each egg a bottle cap on the bottom and one on the top.
STEP 2. What can one egg hold? Test the eggshell strength of just one egg before moving on to three. Gradually stack your heavy items on top of the egg.
Optional: Weigh the items, and record how much weight you are adding to that one egg.
STEP 3. How much weight can three eggs hold? Place three eggs in a triangle and ensure they have all caps.
Start stacking books. You can put a piece of cardboard underneath as a barrier. We managed a huge stack of books, including a bunch of heavy hard-cover books.
STEP 4. How about testing eggshell strength with water? How much water can the three eggs hold?
I used a piece of cardboard to keep the container level on the eggs. He filled it a little at a time with about 2 quarts of water. He was astonished.
Now at some point these eggs will crack. How much weight do you need to add to make them break?
Why Are Eggs So Strong?
Why are my eggs so strong? Do they have superpowers? No, but they do have the power of the dome shape. This unique shape distributes any weight applied to the top of the egg to the entire egg.
Have you ever seen a building in the shape of a dome? The entire structure supports the weight of the roof. The egg’s dome does the same, making it able to hold the weight of objects much bigger and heavier than itself!
More Fun Egg Experiments
- Can an egg bounce? Make a rubber egg.
- Keep an egg from cracking with a classic egg drop.
- Turn eggshells into crystal eggshells.
Helpful Science Resources
Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.
- Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
- Science Vocabulary
- 8 Science Books for Kids
- All About Scientists
- Science Supplies List
- Science Tools for Kids
Printable Science Projects Pack
Find over 90 fantastic science projects with instructions, photos, and project-specific recording sheets. Plan a science fair and more!
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