In this class activity my group had to carefully plan how best to utilize 9 straws and masking tape to create a structure that would protect an egg being dropped from 10 feet high.
Step 1: We acknowledged that we had 25 minutes to plan what we were going to do. This step probably took the most out of our 25 minutes. We started brainstorming ideas on how to protect the egg. After considering various shapes and designs we settled on forming a mattress-like barrier object to place on the bottom of the egg.
Step 2: Since we did not have the actual straws in our possession yet we had to estimate the dimensions of the straws. We figured that we would use about 3-4 straws in forming the barrier. We also estimated that we could get about 3 layers out of these straws. We used a balled up piece of paper to simulate the egg's dimensions.
Step 3: Once we finished designing the barrier we had to come up with potential scenarios that would foil our design. One thing we considered was that the egg might roll after landing and so the sides needed to have some protection too. So we added something in our design to make up for that.
Step 4: We did not really assign specific job roles to our team members, everyone was allowed to contribute in whichever way.
Step 5: After we planned for 25 minutes we had 10 minutes to implement our design. This phase was really hectic as the 10 minutes seemed to go by so fast. We were able to finish before the deadline, and our group was the first to go. Our egg cracked, unfortunately. Whomever dropped the egg said that the egg survived initially but bounced and hit a weakspot.
Afterthoughts: I think our group did a good good overall. Our design might have succeeded 3 times out of 5, but we will never know. One thing we could have improved on was Step 4. We should have assigned specific roles to our members. That would have saved us time in the implementation part.
It's interesting, our group had a very similar design in mind. Forming some kind of buffer between the egg and the floor so it absorbs the shock. Our egg didn't succeed either but the fact that our group member missed the bucket might have also been a factor. It's all in good fun though. I definetly agree that assigning roles to team members would have saved a lot of time in preparing the contraption. Our group didn't execute that step either.
ReplyDeleteOur group had a similar experience as yours. We actually did not assign any roles to the team members. I think that doing so would have saved a lot of time and would have been much more efficient for our team. Initially, I was also thinking of creating a barrier between the egg and the floor so that the impact would not crack it. Even though we took this into consideration, our egg ended up cracking as well.
ReplyDeleteWe had similar planning. If your group was the first one who drop the egg then i think the person who went on to drop the egg has a big height. if your group would have selected someone with less height then you might have less chance to broke the egg.
ReplyDelete