wu :: forums - Print Page


    
      
        wu :: forums
        (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        riddles >> easy >> Falling egg with tape and paper
        
(Message started by: Lightboxes on May 17^th, 2003, 1:13pm)

Title: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Lightboxes on May 17^th, 2003, 1:13pm

With a 8.5 in. x 11 in. sheet of ordinary college ruled paper and 6 inches of common tape (1/2" wide), how can an egg be saved (from being broken) from being dropped 10 feet high? 20 ft? Is it possible to save the egg from 100 feet high?

If you know the answer please hide it for those who have not heard this before using hide tags. [ hide ] [ /hide ].

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Lightboxes on Jun 7^th, 2003, 8:29pm

Does everyone not know the answer and is not willing to try?

Or does everyone know and noone wants to post the answer?

Or does noone know the answer?

Here's a big hint you wussies:
[hide]no need to FOLD the paper![/hide]

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Leonid Broukhis on Jun 7^th, 2003, 9:27pm

Are you suggesting that bending the paper and attaching it to the egg to make some kind of a parachute will be enough?

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Lightboxes on Jun 7^th, 2003, 9:52pm

Lol...come on now...try the parachute thing...I don't think that would ever work.
It's funny cuz I couldn't believe how easy the answer was until I saw it.

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Leonid Broukhis on Jun 7^th, 2003, 11:11pm

Then a good solution would be to write a cease and desist order prohibiting causation of any substantial vertical velocity to the egg on that sheet of paper and attaching it to said egg with the tape.

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by BNC on Jun 8^th, 2003, 5:08am

Cut the paper to narrow stipes.
Attach them together (using tape) to form a 10 ft long band.
Attach one end to egg.
Lower egg slowley to groud.

;) ;) ;) :P

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by MattyDK23 on Jun 8^th, 2003, 6:03am

My high school solution:
[hide]
Make a cone out of the paper for the egg to drop into, fastened by the tape.
[/hide]
Although I doubt that it'd work for the 100 foot drop. :-/

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by TenaliRaman on Jun 8^th, 2003, 11:16am

Some Ideas

1>[Hide]Write your will on the paper and tape it to the wall.Then enclose the egg with your palms and keep it close to your chest.Then jump off the building.While falling on the ground just make sure that you don't fall on the egg and you would have done it.[/Hide]

2>[Hide]Make a bag from the paper and by using tapes.Put the egg in the bag and seal it.Blow a big balloon and attach this bag with the balloon using a string.Let this balloon go.The balloon will then slowly descend to the ground.[/Hide]

Title: Be more philosophical....
Post by MattyDK23 on Jun 8^th, 2003, 11:45am

Take the paper and paper-cut every witness to death. As you drop the egg, give yourself a fatal paper-cut.

If an egg falls 100 feet but no one sees it, does it really break? :P

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by WombatDeath on Jun 8^th, 2003, 12:19pm

You don't even need the tape - simply hold the paper firmly below the egg at a height of x, where x is sufficiently close to the height from which the egg is being dropped.

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Lightboxes on Jun 8^th, 2003, 7:18pm

I almost regret trying to force some answers out...
LOL

Quote:

1>Write your will on the paper and tape it to the wall.Then enclose the egg with your palms and keep it close to your chest.Then jump off the building.While falling on the ground just make sure that you don't fall on the egg and you would have done it.

I really like this one....
Anyway, the cone is probably the more practical and easily created. I've been thinking about if it's possible to actually reach terminal velocity, then creating a special cone/cylinder shape to crumple on one end, then let the egg slide down the cone/cylinder while slowing down (once it hits the ground).

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by TenaliRaman on Jun 8^th, 2003, 9:43pm

@Lightboxes

The best thing about that solution is that it remains inside the frame of the question :P

As for the cone solution,i guess the cone needs to be huge and sturdy for the idea to work.

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Lightboxes on Jun 9^th, 2003, 6:50pm

Frame of question, blah blah blah...

If you can use your body to save the egg...then obviously you can use anything that your wearing as well...
If at the time your wearing a parachute you can safely land with the egg...
Or better yet...your from the future and have the ability to transport by mentally visualizing yourself on the ground with the egg.
I don't believe that I have to clearly explain that ONLY the paper, tape, and egg, can be used from the point of dropping to the point of impact.

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Kozo Morimoto on Jun 11^th, 2003, 11:32pm

I'd like to know what the 'official' answer to this is ! I did a google and could not find a solution or winnign design. There are lots and lots of sites describing the rules, but no solutions!

I'd go something with a mixture of parachute and cushioning. Place parachute/offset blade strips of paper on the non-pointed end of the egg so that the egg will fall with a spin and so that it will always fall with pointed end down (since that's the strongest point of the egg).

Then with the remaining bits of paper, make lots and lots of small rolls of paper (small cylinders) and stick them on the pointy part of the egg to try to cushion the impact. Also some on the sides for when the structure falls over after the impact. Not sure whether the small paper cylinders should be pointed so that the circular face is pointed up/down or pointed left/right.

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Lightboxes on Jun 12^th, 2003, 2:10pm

With this forum and the members involved...I doubt that there is an official answer; however, I know the cone shape works because I've tried it. I also believe that it could work at any height if terminal velocity is not too fast...but I will have to experiment with that.

Why don't you try the parachute and the cylinder ideas at you home with different types of flooring (wood, lynoleum, concrete, carpet :) , etc).

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Kozo Morimoto on Jun 12^th, 2003, 4:26pm

How do you stop the cone from 'flipping' over? If the egg sits above the cone, wouldn't the whole thing flip over so that the cone ends up above the egg since the egg contains most of the mass?

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Speaker on Jun 13^th, 2003, 3:54am

I assume that the egg low enough in the center of gravitiy that the cone would not flip, and that the arrow dynamics ;)of the cone, would keep it pointing towards the ground.

Is the cone closed at the pointy end? Or it is open a little. Would air being forced into the open end at impact serve to cushion the egg?

Are brown eggs better tasting than white eggs?

How about breaking the egg before dropping it, thus preventing it from being broken from a fall of ten feet. QED.

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by kiz2 on May 9^th, 2006, 2:43pm

I need to drop an egg 20 feet without breaking it. What would the best way to do this?

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by otter on May 9^th, 2006, 8:10pm

on 05/09/06 at 14:43:38, kiz2 wrote:

I need to drop an egg 20 feet without breaking it. What would the best way to do this?

::[hide]Drop it from a height > 20 feet. It will fall 20 feet without breaking.[/hide]::

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by graphia on May 9^th, 2006, 9:26pm

I believe there's a tree named the Sycamore or Acer pseudoplatanus that has solved this problem quite nicely :P

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by rmsgrey on May 10^th, 2006, 9:32am

Has anyone experimented with boiling the egg first?

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Grimbal on May 11^th, 2006, 8:57am

I think I have a simple solution.

[hideb]Seal the backside of the chicken with the tape before it lays the egg. Drop the chicken.[/hideb]

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by rmsgrey on May 12^th, 2006, 10:14am

Or use fish eggs...

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Lozboz on Jun 20^th, 2006, 4:07am

Wouldn't it depend on what type of surface it is being dropped onto? It could be dropped onto a springy surface and survive.
What if there is a strong up-draft of wind or it is being dropped through water (or other substances). If it is falling through magma instead it would burn/melt but wouldn't break.
To go further, it doesn't mention this event taking place on Earth, if it is happening on the moon or something the lack of gravity means it wouldn't break if it moved towards the surface. :P

Title: Re: Falling egg with tape and paper
Post by Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on Jun 20^th, 2006, 9:16pm

on 05/17/03 at 13:13:11, Lightboxes wrote:

With a 8.5 in. x 11 in. sheet of ordinary college ruled paper and 6 inches of common tape (1/2" wide), how can an egg be saved... from being dropped 10 feet high?

Well, if this is meant to be a bit of word trickery, I would say that you could just never drop the egg at all.