Students take the egg drop challenge

Students at McLean High School in McLean, Va., prepare to drop a projectile containing a raw egg from the top of the high school football stadium to the cement below.

A package containing an egg drops to the ground below. Balloons were a popular means of absorbing shock because the total weight of the projectile was limited to no more than 160 grams.

A parachute made from a plastic bag was pressed into service to slow this container. The egg didnt break, but it missed the target.

The approach for the styrofoam sphere wasnt to slow the drop, but simply to cushion the egg when it reached the target below. It missed the target.

Physics student Andrew Nguyen of Herndon, Va., holds the remains of his project, and the broken egg it contains.

One idea used by some students was to create shock absorbers using wooden sticks that would absorb energy as they broke under the force of the fall. That didnt work here.

Another approach was to create a stress-absorbing structure around the egg to protect it when it fell. Here it is just before the touchdown, when the egg is still intact.

The stress-absorbing structure survived the fall intact. The egg did not.

Student Jennifer Chen created a stress-absorbing structure that used soda straws. It worked perfectly, protecting the egg and hitting near the target.

A helicopterlike set of wings and a protective structure whirl gently to the ground, protecting its egg in the black velvet bag. It was impressive and successful.

Physics student Angela Lin from McLean, Va., shows off her da Vinci-like device after its successful soft landing.

Michelle Choi of McLean, Va., created a container that looks like a virus, but it worked like a charm.