MIT researchers tested whether eggs break more easily on their sides or tips; their 2025 experiment found sideways drops were surprisingly less likely to crack

Millions of Americans may have learnt from watching pop science YouTube videos and taking some physics classes in middle school that placing eggs on their pointy end will make them stronger. This is the principle behind the classic egg drop challenge, trying to create a contraption to drop an egg from a roof or staircase in the hope that the physics works with you. However, this could not be further from the truth.

According to a 2025 study titled “Challenging common notions on how eggs break and the role of strength versus toughness,” published in the journal Communications Physics, if you drop an egg on its side, it will be less likely to break than if you drop it on its tip, the opposite of what many science fair contenders have been taught. The research was done by MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

How a leftover box of eggs became a research paper


The research is quite lovely. Per an MIT News publication, the project began with Professor Tal Cohen’s research group, as they run an egg drop competition each year for first-year engineering students. Each year the students are taught that the best way to protect their eggs is to place them upright. However, after having some spare eggs in the lab, they decided to test the theory for themselves. They expected the data to confirm that the vertical orientation was tougher, instead, Cohen has said the results were “really unclear,” which is what sent the team down the research rabbit hole.

From this, they developed the research. They tested two types of forces on the eggs. The first was a static force, which squeezed the egg until it broke. The second dynamic force involved dropping eggs from different heights using solenoids and 3D-printed bases to ensure they fell in the correct position. When they tested the static force, they found that both eggs broke under similar force. However, the horizontal egg showed greater compression. This means that they flexed.

Why “stiffer” and “tougher” aren’t the same thing

The research shows something interesting for those who thought strength was a straightforward factor. They found that the vertical egg was stiffer but also more brittle when experiencing sudden impacts. The horizontal egg was more flexible and therefore could absorb more energy over a larger distance, not unlike how a bent knee cushions a fall.

When they actually performed the drop tests, 180 drops in all, they found that the horizontal eggs cracked less than the vertical ones. This proves that whilst the vertical eggs are stiffer when facing a slow force, the horizontal eggs are tougher when facing a sudden impact. It also makes sense. As reported by the New York Times, the horizontal shell can compress to absorb the impact, whilst the vertical shell is stiffer, so it has nothing to give.

A reminder that common knowledge may not always be accurate

This is more than just a fun fact to know at dinner parties. It shows how quickly misconceptions can form. No one meant to give incorrect information about eggs, but it all felt right and was repeated enough in classrooms and videos. It was never tested under pressure (literally). An emeritus professor at Trinity College Dublin, David Taylor, noted that it can be hard to get funding or attention to test an accepted theory that is well known, even if there is not much evidence to back it up. For millennials who have tried to create an egg drop contraption using bubble wrap and bargain store parachutes, it is a nice little fix. It shows that even the simplest facts should be checked by someone.