The Challenge

The challenge in this event is to accurately predict how much weight four legs made of egg shells can hold. The winner will be the team which most accurately predicts the greatest operational load value that their egg legs can support, provided that the legs successfully hold the predicted weight.

You Will Need

• Large whole Grade A eggs
• Cellophane tape
• Scissors
• Garbage bags or garbage can
• Weigh scale
• 30 cm x 30 cm square piece of ¼" plywood
• stop watch
• weights (text books, telephone books, disk weights, etc.)

Note: Please record the weight of each object prior to using it as a weighing device in the competition. It is preferable for all measurements to be recorded in kilograms.

Directions

1. Carefully break off the small end of four eggs.

2. Pour out the contents of the eggs into a garbage bag or appropriate container.

3. Wrap a piece of cellophane tape around the centre circumference of each egg. This is to be done using visual estimates only. No measuring devices are allowed.

4. Using scissors, cut around the circumference of the egg using the centre of the tape as a guideline. Remove the cut piece of tape with the shell fragments attached. Any tape remaining on the egg may stay on the egg, provided it is not over half of the tape's original width.

Rules

1. 20 minutes should be allocated for construction. Teams should then be given 10 minutes to predict the operational load value (their estimate of how much weight the legs will successfully hold for at least 5 seconds), record it on a piece of paper and submit it to the judges.

2. The legs are to be constructed only of egg shells. No other materials are permitted.

3. Students are to be given only 4 eggs to compete with. Should the shell be damaged during the process of extracting the yoke or cutting the egg to size, each team may be given only one additional egg. The remaining shells must be used "as is."

4. The shells are to be placed in a square formation on a flat surface with the plywood laid over the egg legs as a base for the weight.

5. All teams must provide the judges with a predicted "operational load value" for their legs. The operational load value is the maximum weight the team thinks the legs can hold for at least 5 seconds. This value should be clearly written on a piece of paper and sealed inside an envelope with the team name on the front. This "operational value" must be kept confidential until the actual time of testing for the legs. Once the predicted load has been submitted to the judges, no changes may be made to predicted values.

Judging

1. Each entry must meet the construction requirements for this event.

2. The entry with the greatest prediction (operational load value) that successfully holds that predicted load for at least 5 seconds shall be declared the winner. Please do not submit the results of those entries that do not meet the construction or time requirements.

3. Teams will not be allowed to touch their entries once the judges have declared that construction time is up, nor will they be allowed contact with their entry before or during weight testing.

4. Judges are responsible for placing and removing the correct predicted weight values on each entry.

5. In the event of a tie, the set of four legs with the most similar heights should be declared the winner.

6. Please submit only the results of the winning entry from each competing grade to APEGGA.

Rules and Regulations

1. The contest is open to Alberta students in grades 1 through 6.
2. Submissions may be made by groups no larger than four students. All students in a group should be in the same grade level.
3. All results must be received by APEGGA before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 16, 2001. Please include the total weight supported by the winning entry, the predicted weight, the names of the team members, grade level, school name and address, telephone number and a teacher contact.

Mail, fax or email results to:
Science Challenge
c/o APEGGA
1500 Scotia One
10060 Jasper Avenue
EDMONTON AB T5J 4A2
Fax (780) 425-1722
Email: ssteele@apegga.org

Questions or concerns? Call Bronwen Stembiski at (780) 426-3990 or toll free at 1-800-661-7020 or Stacey at (403) 262-7714.