Activity Overview
Challenge a friend or volunteer to an eggshell gymnastics feat during your next magic performance. In this magic trick, you will challenge a friend, family member or volunteer to an eggshell gymnastics training mission. To be successful at the challenge, you must successfully get your eggshell half to do a flip inside of a glass of water.
What the friend does not know is that there is a natural air bubble inside one of the egg shell halves that is almost always there inside an egg. Feel free to talk to your eggshell a bit and cheer it on. You will find success while he does not. If your volunteer claims that there must be different about your egg, then pick up your eggshell and slyly break the air bubble inside of the eggshell by scraping your fingernail against it. Wash your hands well after handling a raw eggshell.
Materials Needed
- A fresh egg
- A glass
- Water
How to Do It
- Using great care, crack open an egg and separate the two shells so that they are as equal in size as possible.
- Inspect the inside of the two egg shell pieces and identify the side that has an air bubble membrane inside of it. Most eggs will have one.
- Challenge a friend or family member by telling your friend that you bet that you can train your egg shell to do a flip in the water.
- Secretly you retain the half of the egg that has the air bubble membrane inside of it and give the other half of the eggshell to your friend.
- Fill a glass with water and place the eggshell open side up in the water.
- Gently press on the rim of the egg shell until the shell fills with water and starts to sink.
- As it sinks, the bubble will cause the eggshell to flip over and rise to the top.
- Retrieve your egg shell and ask your friend to try it for themselves.
- Your friend will be unsuccessful.
