Egg shells are fairly weak, right? They crack very easily. So how much weight do you think they could actually hold?
What you’ll need:
- at least two eggs
- masking tape
- scissors
- large hard cover book or piece of cardboard
- some heavy objects, eg. cans
What to do:
- Wrap masking tape around the middle of the egg.
- Use the scissors to poke a hole through the middle of the tape, and cut through the shell, so you end up with two halves the shell. Pour the contents of the egg out.
- Repeat this with another egg so you have four half shells. Rinse them out with water.
- Place the shells down in a rectangle shape, with the domes facing up. Place a book or piece of cardboard over the top.
- Now you can start to see how much weight the shells can take. Start stacking objects, such as cans or tins on top.
How many cans do you think the shells can take until they break?
What happens:
Eggs can be very breakable, but the dome shape at either end is actually quite strong. With the domes, the weight is spread evenly along the sides, allowing them to hold more weight.