HUNTINGTON BEACH : Edison Students Get Egged on by Physics

Kara Stokes, 16, practiced for her school’s annual physics egg drop until 1:30 a.m. Friday, dropping eggs from her rooftop.

Her work paid off later in the day at Edison High School when she cushioned a raw egg with about 20 marshmallows in an old coffee can that she had modified into a safe travel conveyance.

The can was dropped about 60 feet from a tree-trimming rig to a concrete landing area, and the egg survived intact.

Kara was one of about 180 students who participated in the egg-drop contest, an annual event that challenges students to devise ways to pack or suspend eggs in containers so they won’t break.

It is one of several special physics projects scheduled in the year to test real world application to textbook theories, said Steve Johnson, science department chairman at Edison.

Johnson said about 60% of Edison’s graduates take physics classes, reportedly one of the highest rates in the state. Physics is important because it helps students prepare for a technological society, he said. In Friday’s experiment, the students learned practical aspects about gravity, force, aerodynamics and velocity, he said.

Kevin Biagi, 17, wrapped his egg in transparent plastic and placed it in a small box stuffed with popcorn.

“I wanted to make it as light as possible so it would slow down the speed,” he said. “The only weight was the egg. I’ve been thinking about it for a week.”

Biagi’s egg made a soft landing and didn’t crack.

Edison Principal Brian Garland said that in the egg-dropping contest, students are “doing something directly related to the classroom, but packaged in a way that they really enjoy.

“Some met with profound success, and some met with scrambled eggs.”