The secret to winning at the egg scramble

We dye the eggs red every Maundy Thursday according to tradition, while at the table on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday we crack them saying to each other “Christ is Risen – Truly the Lord”.

But did you know that there is a trick that gives you a better chance of winning the “battle” of red eggs? Experiments by scientists that sometimes have an entertainment character study the reaction of the egg to the rattle. Once a year engineers from Princeton University’s Form Finding Lab put the shell theorem to the test by cracking eggs.

(Thanks to the shell theorem we apply the law of universal gravitation to spherical objects – such as planets – treating them as if they were point masses with all their mass concentrated at the center of the sphere – or shell).

Anyone interested in winning at egg scrambles must use simple principles of physical (structural) engineering. The first is this: the geometric stiffness “says” that the more curved the egg is, the better the scrambling performance will be. So choose the sharpest one.

More formally, all of this is stated as follows:

“The mechanical behavior of the shells is mainly determined by the overall shape of the shell. How much a shell deflects can be predicted through what engineers call shell stiffness.

Stiffness depends on two factors: material properties (material stiffness) and geometry (geometric stiffness). For eggshells, geometric stiffness dominates the behavior, especially since the material of all eggs is basically identical. Thus, the secret of victory can be analyzed in the shape of the egg.

#1 Choose the pointiest egg (repeat: only the top part matters – size and thickness are minor). Curvature is key, but make sure the egg doesn’t have pre-existing cracks.

#2 We clean carefully. The geometric stiffness phenomenon described above is dominated by curvature, with local collapse facilitated by small imperfections. Like small bumps. That’s why you need to clean the egg.

#3 We go on the attack, with the strategy focusing on making the first hit nose to nose – as many initially use the back, to keep the top of the egg ‘alive’ for the follow-up.

#4 After all the eggs on the bottom are dissolved, it’s time to recruit the nose. Make sure you hold your egg with a handle, which makes it impossible to hit anywhere other than the most curved one. Securely pin the parts sideways for extra support. If this cannot be possible, try to hit the flattest point of the opponent, next to the ‘nose’ (the top).

We reiterate (ie, the Princeton engineers reiterate) that it doesn’t matter how hard we hit. The most important thing is where we hit.