It might seem impossible to squeeze an egg through the neck of a milk bottle, but with a little scientific magic and the materials you have at home, it's completely doable! It's a fun and well-known science experiment.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: boil an egg
Step 1. Put an egg in a saucepan filled with water
Immerse a raw egg in a pot of water. Use hot water to make it boil faster.
You could boil multiple eggs at the same time to try the trick a few times or in case it doesn't work with the first egg
Step 2. Boil the water
Place the pan on a burner over medium heat. Leave for 20 minutes until the water starts to boil.
Step 3. Peel the egg
Empty the water from the pot into the sink, being careful not to burn yourself. Use cold water to cool the egg and remove the shell. It might help to bang it against the countertop to crack the shell which will become easier to peel.
Part 2 of 3: put the egg in the bottle with matches
Step 1. Put the bottle in position
Place the bottle upright with the neck facing up. This is a necessary position for the tour.
- Make sure to use a glass bottle. It can be dangerous to use a bottle that is plastic or made from a material other than glass.
- The neck opening should be narrow, but it should be at least half the diameter of the egg (as is the case with a bottle of milk).
Step 2. Light the matches
Carefully light three matches. Drop them into the bottle, being careful. Wait a second or two.
Step 3. Place the egg on the neck
Quickly place the hard-boiled egg on the neck of the bottle with the flatter part on top. Don't wait too long to put the egg on it or the matches will go out and the trick won't work.
Step 4. Watch the egg slide into the bottle
Once the matches go out, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. Then you can start this tour over again under the amazed eyes of your friends.
Part 3 of 3: get the egg into the bottle with candles
Step 1. Stick a birthday candle into the egg
Take two or three small birthday candles and push them into the pointed part of the hard-boiled egg. Make sure they hold securely in place, but don't push them in too far to prevent the egg from falling apart.
Step 2. Light the candles
Light the candles carefully (or under adult supervision if you are a child). They should light up easily.
Step 3. Place the candles in a bottle upside down
Take the bottle and put the inverted candles in it, being careful not to seal the neck with the egg for a few seconds. You will need to let the candles warm up the inside of the bottle first.
Step 4. Watch the egg sink into the bottle
After a few seconds, lower the bottle to completely seal the neck with the egg. The candles might go out all at once, but after a few seconds the egg should be sucked into the bottle.
Step 5. Explain how it works to your friends
This trick works, because when matches burn, they heat up the inside of the bottle and release water vapor during the combustion reaction. This process allows the air inside the bottle to expand, which pushes some of it out.
- Once the egg seals the neck, matches are quickly starved of oxygen and extinguish. As the air in the bottle cools, the volume of air inside decreases due to the condensation of the water vapor (you should see like a small cloud in the bottle after the matches go out) and dry air cooling.
- As the air volume decreases, it puts less pressure on the egg while the pressure outside the bottle does not change. The egg is sucked into the bottle once the difference between these forces is sufficient to deform it and overcome the friction created at the neck.
Advice
- You will find different ways online to get a hard-boiled egg out of the bottle.
- Most of the time, the egg will stay intact as it slides into the bottle, but results may vary.
- Do you want to leave the shell on the egg? Simply soak it in vinegar for 24 hours until the shell is soft and follow the same instructions. Then wait another 24 hours for the shell to harden. You can even do it with a raw egg.
- You can also do this trick with a balloon. Stretch the opening of a balloon over the neck of the bottle and it will be sucked in.
- Don't wait too long after lighting the matches. They will burn up quickly.
- Brush the egg with oil to make it descend more easily.
- Add butter if you prefer.
Warnings
- Do not try this experiment over a rug or similar surface.
- Don't take this trick if you don't know how to use a lighter.
- If you have long hair, be sure to tie it back so it doesn't set it on fire.
- If you are a minor, do not attempt this tour without adult supervision. Have an adult light the matches if you are not sure.