please help me! its an egg drop contest

[jess]

yeah thats what i was thinking but what type of basket? would a cone or square or what be the best? also should i have a hole in the parachute?

[sciguy125]

Originally Posted by jess

yeah thats what i was thinking but what type of basket? would a cone or square or what be the best? also should i have a hole in the parachute?

If you made a cone for the basket, it could act as a cushion if it crumples correctly. You'd have to somehow make sure that it falls point straight down. As for the whole in the parachute, I think you'd need to run some experiments. I'm not well versed on parachute theory, but I think that the hole would add extra stability if it's the right size. The size of the hole, and its necessity, I think would depend on the mass distribution of the entire system. If the egg is heavy enough, it should be able to stabalize itself.