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Today is the first day of spring and the Vernal Equinox! An old myth claims you can stand an egg on its end ONLY during the Vernal Equinox, when day and night are equal in length. Supposedly, this is because there is equal gravity between the Earth and the sun on that day. But that's a myth! In reality, you can stand an egg on end any day. Why?
On the bottom of an egg you will find tiny bumps in the shell. Those bumps are simply irregularities in the eggshell that hold the egg up (similar to legs).
To prove this point, we successfully balanced an egg outside of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis yesterday—a full day before the Vernal Equinox.
Also, while we were having fun with eggs, we tested out the strength of an egg. Because of the shape of an egg, it can hold up to five pounds of weight on top without breaking! Don't believe me? Check out this photo!
This is a fun science experiement you can try at home, too!
Materials
- 2 caps from 2-liter bottles of pop
- 1 egg
- hardback books
Process
- Place one bottle cap open-side up on a smooth, level surface.
- Put the large end of the egg on the bottle cap.
- Put the other cap, open-side down, on the egg.
- Gradually add some books or other weighty materials.
More egg trivia
- Spin an egg to see if it’s hard-cooked or raw. If it wobbles, it’s raw!
- The expression, “It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk,” could only be true if the sidewalk reached a temperature of 300°F.
- Eggs have tiny pores just like human skin. Through these pores they can absorb flavors and odors, so it’s best to store eggs in a carton in a refrigerator.
- Eggs age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator.
- If you accidentally drop an egg on the floor, sprinkle it with a lot of salt before you clean it up. This makes clean-up easier.
All over the world eggs symbolize the release of earth from winter and the coming of new life in the spring. We hope you enjoy the first day of spring!
