An "Engineering" Puzzle

[Globus]

That Don't Impress Me Much!

[Bullet]

Hi budding designers. Here's a problem to solve.

You are to throw a raw (uncooked) egg out of a window, from at least the second floor of a building, without it breaking.

Your challenge is to get it the furthest away from the other competitors, within your encasement.

You are provided with
Cardboard (as much as you need of packaging quality).
Drinking straws (the non bendy type)
Straw (dried grass)
Sellotape (as much as you need).

Come up with a design.

I'm sole judge.

Design brief is too vague for a real challenge - don't know what 'your encasement' means but I'll start with getting it 1 mile from the building

[Globus]

Hi budding designers. Here's a problem to solve.

You are to throw a raw (uncooked) egg out of a window, from at least the second floor of a building, without it breaking.

Your challenge is to get it the furthest away from the other competitors, within your encasement.

You are provided with
Cardboard (as much as you need of packaging quality).
Drinking straws (the non bendy type)
Straw (dried grass)
Sellotape (as much as you need).

Come up with a design.

I'm sole judge.

Design brief is too vague for a real challenge - don't know what 'your encasement' means but I'll start with getting it 1 mile from the building

It simply means what you encase your raw egg in.

[RichieRich89]

If you're real high up, like, making a plane out of the materials and strapping it to that would get it further than just throwing it wrapped up in protective stuff.

[Biffer]

Boil it first.

[Sandstorm]

Boil it first.

Against the rules

[Globus]

OK. Here was my "solution".

The object was to get the egg the furthest from the building. Several of the teams just popped it in a tube, made from the cardboard.

They tried to chuck it out of the window as far as possible. Most went no more than a few metres.

My team helped me to go one better.

Make a discus!

Egg in the middle, wrapped in straw. Two bits of card, cut in a circle, a notch cut to enable the card to become a form of dome.

All held together with masses of sellotape on the outside.

We happened to have a chap who used to do field sports and he was the one to fling it out of the sash window.

It more than exceeded expectations as it flew into the next field and the umpires had to get over the fence to check that the egg was intact.

It was. Phew!

[Raggs]

If you're real high up, like, making a plane out of the materials and strapping it to that would get it further than just throwing it wrapped up in protective stuff.

My 2nd idea was that given infinite resources, I could build a ramp, from the highest point of our theoretical building, allow for an egg, packaged in a ball of cardboard and straw etc, to simply roll down to the end. I would start the ball off selloptaped to the ramp with a single fine strip of sellotape, so that it was all part of the same encasement to start.

[SaintK]

Boil it first.

Against the rules

But at least you could eat the bloody thing!!!

[Bullet]

If you're real high up, like, making a plane out of the materials and strapping it to that would get it further than just throwing it wrapped up in protective stuff.

My 2nd idea was that given infinite resources, I could build a ramp, from the highest point of our theoretical building, allow for an egg, packaged in a ball of cardboard and straw etc, to simply roll down to the end. I would start the ball off selloptaped to the ramp with a single fine strip of sellotape, so that it was all part of the same encasement to start.

This. From 100th floor window and ramp at 12° angle would allow the egg to roll to a mile away from the building.

[ASMO]

In the spirit of keeping it simple, the primary challenge is all about keeping the egg whole, the distance is secondary so here is what i would do.

Wrap the egg in straw and then completely encase the outside in 100's of layers of sellotape, this will create an armoured shell that will protect the egg. Go to window and toss it as far as you can.

[Ymx]

I’m thinking combine that with some kind of cardboard hand glider or paper dart

[Globus]

In the spirit of keeping it simple, the primary challenge is all about keeping the egg whole, the distance is secondary so here is what i would do.

Wrap the egg in straw and then completely encase the outside in 100's of layers of sellotape, this will create an armoured shell that will protect the egg. Go to window and toss it as far as you can.

Ha! A bit improbable but possibly feasible! At least you had a go at the problem Asmo.

I just tried to find a bit of a puzzle that would defeat the Googlers.

[Globus]

I’m thinking combine that with some kind of cardboard hand glider.

Not a bad idea at all. We did try that but the weight of the egg was a problem. Our first attempt took the glider straight down, made about 3 metres and smashed the egg.

It was back to the drawing board.

[Sandstorm]

I’m thinking combine that with some kind of cardboard hand glider.

Not a bad idea at all. We did try that but the weight of the egg was a problem. Our first attempt took the glider straight down, made about 3 metres and smashed the egg.

It was back to the drawing board.

You and Lockheed Martin?

[Globus]

We also tried a catapult. Would have been useful if we'd got some knicker elastic but the ladies were not playing ball.

Sadly Sellotape is not very stretchy.

[Globus]

Sticking with the raw egg principle; how do you drop a raw egg 3 metres onto a concrete floor without breaking the shell?

[RichieRich89]

We also tried a catapult. Would have been useful if we'd got some knicker elastic but the ladies were not playing ball.

Sadly Sellotape is not very stretchy.

The ladies wouldn't give give you their knickers?

[Globus]

We also tried a catapult. Would have been useful if we'd got some knicker elastic but the ladies were not playing ball.

Sadly Sellotape is not very stretchy.

The ladies wouldn't give give you their knickers?

I asked for volunteers but all I got was a polite refusal.

Actually one of my team did ponder. She's a big fromage in Amnesty Internation now so she was in a quandary.

[Ymx]

Sticking with the raw egg principle; how do you drop a raw egg 3 metres onto a concrete floor without breaking the shell?

Remove the egg from the shell before dropping it.

[Globus]

Sticking with the raw egg principle; how do you drop a raw egg 3 metres onto a concrete floor without breaking the shell?

Remove the egg from the shell before dropping it.

You are just dropping a sticky mess! Not the answer.

[Torquemada 1420]

Hi budding designers. Here's a problem to solve.

You are to throw a raw (uncooked) egg out of a window, from at least the second floor of a building, without it breaking.

Your challenge is to get it the furthest away from the other competitors, within your encasement.

You are provided with
Cardboard (as much as you need of packaging quality).
Drinking straws (the non bendy type)
Straw (dried grass)
Sellotape (as much as you need).

Come up with a design.

I'm sole judge.

Is it still inside the mother?

[Globus]

Hi budding designers. Here's a problem to solve.

You are to throw a raw (uncooked) egg out of a window, from at least the second floor of a building, without it breaking.

Your challenge is to get it the furthest away from the other competitors, within your encasement.

You are provided with
Cardboard (as much as you need of packaging quality).
Drinking straws (the non bendy type)
Straw (dried grass)
Sellotape (as much as you need).

Come up with a design.

I'm sole judge.

Is it still inside the mother?

No. We were not playing "chicken". No hens or roosters were involved in a Kamikazi attempt at freedom.