This afternoon, students from Linwood E. Howe School will compete in an engineering contest that will have some of them left with egg on their face … and all over.
Teams of four students each applied basic physics concepts to design egg “containers” in preparation for the annual Egg Drop Contest.
Finalists from each class will drop raw eggs in student-designed protective devices from a second-story balcony to the ground below.
Those whose containers best protect the egg and keep it from breaking will be the winners. The event helps encourage students to learn about shock absorption, energy dissipation and related scientific concepts.
Linwood Howe’s third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classes will compete against each other this afternoon from 1:50 to 2:10 while kindergarteners, first- and second-grade classes will compete from 2:30 to 2:50, on the campus, 4100 Irving Pl., Culver City.
“This is a lot of fun for all the kids and for the spectators, too,” said Principal Amy Anderson. “It’s just another way for students to learn about physics while having a good time, too.”
The contest has four simple rules:
1. Raw chicken eggs only.
2. Eggs may not be softened by any means (soaking in vinegar, etc .)
3. Students must construct their apparatus with materials brought from home — any material is acceptable, from mashed potatoes to balloons and bubble wrap.
4. Students are encouraged to use their imaginations.
The Egg Drop Contest is the kickoff to the school’s annual Science Fair. Over the next month, students will be tinkering with a variety of science projects that will be presented at the Science Fair on Wednesday, June 3.
