An “Egg-cellent” Experiment

I thought it would be interesting to find something in Access Science I could do at home. I found one using eggs, however of the three experiments only one was something I thought I could do… I could cook an egg in alcohol (rubbing), which is why it is not edible or get an egg to bounce using vinegar or turn the whites of an egg green. (I had thought it might be the yolk to turn green ala “Green Eggs and Ham”, but no.} Red cabbage is used for that experiment.

 

The experiment As I did not have any red cabbage or rubbing alcohol, I went with the bouncing egg. I did have vinegar and eggs and a glass. It will take 24 hours for the shell to become soft enough. Here goes. I had to improvise as I do not have a clear glass, so went with a small bowl. I still think it should be fine. The egg bubbled just like the video said. Now I have to wait and see if I get a bounce.  

24 hours later: Well, the egg was softer and had bubbled and foamed as expected. My egg being brown also lost color. As the shell was soft, I squeezed the sides to see what would happen, it made me think of a water Balloon. I dropped it from about six inches, it bounced a little but did not break, tried a foot, bounced and rolled, did not break I got brave and tried it from 2 feet that did not work, the egg broke. It could have been the fact I was using a card table with a soft top that allowed me to go so high. It was still fun. Give it a try see how you do try a something different. There are many experiments shared in the Access Science database. See what you can find. You'll need to log in via VPN for all of the links to work.


Reference AccessScience, s.v. "Egg-cellently Weird Science Experiments," “This video walks you through the chemistry behind protein denaturing, making an egg bounce, and creating your own green eggs (minus the ham).” Access Science.


R. Ponzio