Wuhan Physics Class Starts Egg Protection War

Different from the boring lecture-based physics class of traditional Chinese education, the American physics class is full of fun. Read on to learn how our students are building their analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills on our SMS Wuhan campus.

In order to motivate her students’ interest in physics, enhance their understanding of physics theory, and improve their hands-on abilities, Liz Daniels, a physics teacher on our SMS Wuhan campus, planned a project that involved raw eggs falling from a height of three meters without breaking. Project requirements included no direct wrapping of the eggs and containers weighing no more than 100g with a length and breadth not to exceed 30 cm. With one week to design something before testing, students formed project groups and channeled their excitement into theory questions as they began to make preliminary plans.

Wuhan students plan egg drop designs with teacher Liz Daniels

The next day, students discussed ideas, chose a plan, and began design sketches during class. One group was prepared to use a foam block as a glider to protect their egg, but when they tried a variety of methods, they gave up and chose to make a tripod attached to a helium balloon to cushion and protect. Most students chose relatively soft materials and parachute-like items as buffers. One group used paper to make a triangular pyramid, but included sturdier materials like straw to fix their egg in place. When the first round of projects were completed, students had the opportunity to test them using cooked eggs, and adjust their containers accordingly.

Wuhan student releasing egg drop container from campus window

While almost all the groups had successful tests, there were a few broken eggs due to improper container material selection, a great lesson for them all. The students documented their main lessons learned:

Lesson 1: You cannot use one another’s methods mechanically. You need to think carefully before deciding to use certain materials, and make them suitable to your own specific situation.

Wuhan students working on egg drop containers by reviewing notes

Lesson 2: Nothing is as simple as it looks; you must think twice and test many times before coming to a conclusion.

Wuhan student preparing to release egg drop container from campus window

Lesson 3: Even though you come up with a great idea, you still need to consider and test its feasibility.

Wuhan students placing raw egg into crafted egg drop container

This experiment has developed our students’ independent thinking, trained their hands-on skills, and gave them a deeper understanding of physics.

Check out all four clever project designs:

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