Win 5 dollars.

[rushyrulz]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

If your teacher lets you use helium, I quit.

[who_cares973]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

i hope he could use helium thatd be awesome

[top]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

the teacher never specified that he couldn't use any form of gas, i'd say he's in the clear.

good luck midnghtraver

[rushyrulz]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

*egg floats to the ceiling

good game physics

[hi19hi19]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

A helium balloon attached to the egg causing the entire apparatus to be at just under neutral buoyancy would work wonderfully.
Imagine an egg just gently falling down a few inches per minute. Two hours later it gently touches down without a sound. Problem, teacher?

One large US egg has a mass of approximately 60 grams. Use the ideal gas law to calculate the volume of helium required to counteract that mass (leaving a little room for the mass of the balloon membrane and attachment) and see if the mass of a helium balloon of that size falls within your project maximums. I don't think it will, but hey it would be a fun science exercise to go ahead and check- I'd PV=nRT for you but hey, this is your class not mine

[Tidus810]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

Actually if your dad/uncle/anybody is a handyman of sorts, they should have styrofoam spray-on insulation. It has a very small mass, since it's very aerated and works beautifully. If anyone knows what the heck I'm talking about and can maybe describe it better that'd be great haha.

[UserNameGoesHere]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

the teacher never specified that he couldn't use any form of gas, i'd say he's in the clear.

good luck midnghtraver

Err, except gas has mass. You'd actually be adding more total mass, not less. Mass not equals weight. Basically everything I said in the previous post.

If the teacher doesn't at least mark off points if not outright disqualify (grade of F) for using helium to "decrease mass", he/she is a bad (I'm assuming physics) teacher because it doesn't decrease mass.

--edit--
or do what hi19hi19 said if you're really set on this helium thing, but make sure to show all your calculations and work to prove it is within the specified mass allowance.

[hi19hi19]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

Actually if your dad/uncle/anybody is a handyman of sorts, they should have styrofoam spray-on insulation. It has a very small mass, since it's very aerated and works beautifully. If anyone knows what the heck I'm talking about and can maybe describe it better that'd be great haha.

This shit?



I'd think you want shock insulation, not heat insulation. There's a difference- many types of heat insulation wind up quite hard when they dry.

[top]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

Err, except gas has mass. You'd actually be adding more total mass, not less. Mass not equals weight. Basically everything I said in the previous post.

If the teacher doesn't at least mark off points if not outright disqualify (grade of F) for using helium to "decrease mass", he/she is a bad (I'm assuming physics) teacher because it doesn't decrease mass.

oh..right i guess it wouldn't be the greatest idea. he could try, but if it were me i wouldn't even risk getting into a debate about how there's still mass but the teacher didn't technically say i couldn't "decrease" the mass...

teachers hate being challenged, i would just stay the heck away from the helium lol

[justin_ator]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

For real though, find out if you can do a balloon with helium. If so, you win. I doubt it though, so have a backup plan to kinda get something thrown together. If you can make darkshark's design into more of a pyramid and come up with a parachute attachment like mine, it'd probably be light enough and slow enough to keep it all together, etc.


EDIT: It's not even a "Let's decrease the mass/weight with helium" thing, if you have helium in a balloon, and it weighs 70 grams, I'd say there is a good chance that'll probably have a decent impact on how fast the egg is actually falling, meaning it's farrrr more likely to survive a fall.

[Tidus810]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

This shit?



I'd think you want shock insulation, not heat insulation. There's a difference- many types of heat insulation wind up quite hard when they dry.

Yeah, something along those lines. I don't remember exactly what it was, but I think I had used something more shock-resistant. It worked beautifully either way. :P

[UserNameGoesHere]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

oh..right i guess it wouldn't be the greatest idea. he could try, but if it were me i wouldn't even risk getting into a debate about how there's still mass but the teacher didn't technically say i couldn't "decrease" the mass...

teachers hate being challenged, i would just stay the heck away from the helium lol

That's because you can't decrease the mass. No known substance has negative mass. It is physically impossible. Even electrons have mass. You can decrease the weight, but that's not the same thing. (Grams are a unit of mass, not weight.)

And a good teacher loves to be challenged but a bad teacher hates it. Just make sure if you challenge your teacher that you have all the facts straight and a solid case. You can't defy the laws of physics.

Or in other words the scale the teacher will likely use to measure grams will not be accurate for gasses nor would it be accurate in other than typical Earth gravitational environments. You'd need other calculations to determine mass rather than that instrument in those cases.

OP can go with what Hi19Hi19 posted IF the math is included and dead set on helium. Otherwise go with something else. (If in doubt, ask the teacher if it's allowed)

[Artic_counter]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

Use Hydrogen instead and make it explode on impact for additional bonus point.

Yeah, if your teacher let's you use a balloon filled with some gas, I quit too.

[leonid]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

completely fill your classroom with a very thick liquid and then drop your egg from there

[justin_ator]

Re: Win 5 dollars.

How about this:

I'll give YOU five dollars, OP, if you (unbeknownst to your teacher) make a setup that explodes egg all over the place (just it shattering on the floor doesn't count), and get it on video.