Question

newtons 1st law of motion: egg drop
data and observations: draw a sketch of your observations before and after the activity in the space below.
before after
the card is moved flicked away, the egg falls into the cup of water if the
what did you see? was there anything you were not expecting?
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egg drop questions:
why does the egg fall into the cup of water instead of falling and breaking on your counter?
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how is this experiment backed by newtons 1st law of motion (law of inertia)?
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Explanation:

What did you see? Was there anything you were not expecting?

Before the activity, there was likely an egg resting on a card (e.g., a playing card) placed over a cup of water. After flicking the card quickly, the card moved away rapidly, and the egg fell straight down into the cup of water instead of moving with the card or breaking on the counter. Some might expect the egg to move with the card or break, so the egg falling neatly into the water could be unexpected.

When the card is flicked, it experiences a force and moves. The egg, however, has inertia (Newton’s 1st Law) – it resists changes in its state of motion. Before the card is flicked, the egg is at rest. When the card moves, the egg tends to stay at rest due to inertia. Gravity then pulls the egg vertically downwards, and since the cup is directly below (after the card is moved), the egg falls into the cup instead of moving horizontally with the card or hitting the counter.

Newton’s 1st Law states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion with the same velocity, unless acted upon by a net external force. Initially, the egg (and card) are at rest. When the card is flicked, a force acts on the card, making it move. The egg, however, has inertia – no horizontal force acts on it (the flick force is on the card, not the egg directly), so it remains at rest horizontally. Vertically, gravity (a force) acts on the egg, causing it to accelerate downwards. So the egg’s tendency to stay at rest horizontally (due to inertia) and then fall vertically into the cup demonstrates Newton’s 1st Law.

Answer:

Before: An egg rests on a card over a cup of water. After: The card is flicked away, and the egg falls into the cup of water. What I saw: The card moved quickly, and the egg dropped into the water. What was unexpected: I thought the egg might move with the card or break, but it fell into the water.

Why does the egg fall into the cup of water instead of falling and breaking on your counter?