Help with children's science project please? We want to make an egg bounce...?

try this site

http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/egg_experimen...

perhaps it would be best to leave it up to your children to guide you. with all science, it's the thirst for knowledge which will lead the direction you will take. for instance, ask them what they find neater - the fact that the egg turned into rubber, what caused it, can it be done to others, etc.

if they're interested in the egg as food, then food scientists would be able to guide you to a whole wealth of information - much like Alton Brown on the Food Channel if you've ever seen him. There's a whole science behind eggs - why do they look different the different way they're prepared. . . and especially the consequence of these changes (denaturation of proteins) as they are incorporated in different foods.

If they're interested in the reaction itself, then a chemist might be the one to go to - what chemical reaction is occuring, and can I get the same reaction to occur by using different reagents?

As a nutritionist, though, I would lean towards the food science. It might be more interesting to an eight year old why people will put eggs in mayonnaise or a soufle. . . then again, making more rubber eggs may also be pretty cool.

I vote with Gina S

Let the children's ideas guide you.

There was an Amateur Scientist (Sc. American) on the chemistry of meringue, egg sauces, cooking eggs that might be of interest. The vinegar, lemon juice have the white(albumin) absorb water so now the protein acts similar to soap, detergent in combining with both oil and water. I make good Bearnaise, other sauces just knowing a little about the chemistry.

There is an electrical current flowing between the metal bowl and the mixer while making meringue. The egg whites are reacting with water.

You know, I saw this concept promoted 40 years or so ago, but what was added to it was that the egg could be sucked into a bottle having a diameter less than that of the egg. What they did was to add some hot water to the bottle (it can't be boiling water or it might crack the glass due to expansion. Thicker glass is more apt to crack when hot water is added than thin glass). By placing the egg on the opening of the bottle, when the hot air within the bottle began to contract, it would pull the egg inside. It might be of interest in demonstrating the power of a vacuum?

I would think anything else acidic would take the shell off too, vinegar is acetic acid so you could try like grapefruit juice or something with citric acid in it, would definitely take longer but should have the same effect