Cardboard cars designed by Triway Junior High science students give raw eggs a safe trip

Triway Junior High School eighth-grade science students packed their precious cargo carefully for a steep ride down a wooden ramp ending in a cement block.

The members of Ann McNeil's and Emily Rolince's science class were serious about their task.

The cars they created from cardboard, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, foam sheets, pipe cleaners, springs and other materials carried a raw egg passenger needing to survive the trip.

Students worked in pairs and were given a $25 budget to purchase materials, Rolince said.

They could only use supplies from her "store," said Rolince, to make it fair for everyone.

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The options were limited, Rylee Gamble said, "but we got to choose."

Real-life traffic study of car crashes, safety

Each car had wheels and an axle.

Materials for the project were purchased with funds from a Martha Holden Jennings grant.

The assignment simulated a real-life traffic study of car crashes and the efficacy of safety features.

"The eggs represent bodies," said Sidney Schumacher. "If the car crashes, we get hurt."

The problem-based learning involved in the egg car challenges was that seat belts are highly effective in saving lives, buy not in preventing injury. Students addressed solving the issues by designing safety features to protect their eggs.

For example, structuring bigger bumpers to withstand greater impact in an accident is important, Schumacher said, highlighting as well the cotton balls she and her partner, Kayleigh Miller, used as air bags.

Newton's three laws of motion, Consumer Reports part of the planning

Gamble and her partner, Vivian Gaffey, showed off some of their car's components, including cotton balls for a cushion and a rubber band for a seatbelt strapping their egg into a small paper cup.

Research for the 2 1/2-week unit incorporated the study of Newton's three laws of motion and Top Pick safety ratings from Consumer Reports for design elements, said a comprehensive study guide submitted by McNeil.

Measurements for length, width and height had to fit exact specifications.

"What I love about (the cars) is none of them are alike," McNeil said.

"We wanted it to look like an F1," said Taran Tate, describing his and Balin Finley's egg mobile's spongy front bumper engineered to protect its egg when the car dropped from the ramp into the cinder block.

"We have a lot of cushion on it," Finley said. "The egg should definitely be safe."

"It didn't crack," said Deacon Gilbert, noting he and Briley Cline had "pretty similar (design) ideas" for their car − a standout with pink bubble wrap.

If they didn't, they combined concepts.

When the test drive using a plastic Easter egg weighted with pennies and the actual road test with a real egg were completed, students documented their results.

Evaluating fast but safe

Speed was timed and was a factor evaluating the "fastest, but safest vehicle," Rolince said.

The condition of the egg following the crash at the end of the course was measured on a 4-point scale − 4 for no cracks, 3 for one crack, 2 points for a crack and contents of the egg spilling out, one point for an egg shell separating into two pieces, and a zero for total breakage of the egg.

"Almost all 4s so far," said Rolince of the results.

"When they do break, we have a conversation about what we could do differently if we were to do this again," she said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Triway students build cars with egg-protecting safety factors