Quick and to the point:
We boiled eggs tonight. Some of the sunk to the bottom, and some floated to the top. Why?
Thanks
Fippo-
Through our bleeding/We are one
Different densities 
Sometimes I feel like a real dum-ass around here… and that’s a good thing.
Ok, perhaps elaboration is in order? Does the sinking/floating have anything to do with freshness? Is there a way to know beforehand which eggs will sink and which will float?
Fippo-
Through our bleeding/We are one
Sorry… that was my smart-ass answer that roughly translates (I’m a little rusty on my smart-ass) into: “I don’t know” or “I don’t no” or something like that.
Sometimes I feel like a real dum-ass around here… and that’s a good thing.
There is an air chamber at the fat end of the egg between the inner shell membrane and outer shell membrane. The older the egg is, the bigger the air chamber, and the more likely it is to float.
Work is the curse of the drinking classes. (Oscar Wilde)
Ok, perhaps elaboration is in order? Does the sinking/floating have anything to do with freshness? Is there a way to know beforehand which eggs will sink and which will float?
Fippo-
Ahh, precognition never had a future brighter than this.
If we could know which eggs float, we could make book in Vegas!
Unfortunately, I seem doomed to collect them from the fridge, toss them into the pan, fill wih water, set burner to ‘stun’, and then gather data about which ones float and which ones don’t, thru purely visual observation.
I vote for the trapped air theory, but in any case, sink or float,
Boil for ten minutes, and they’re done.
Color at will.
Oh darn. I thought this thread was gonna be about poo.
Bibliophage is right. A raw egg hangs around long enough, and its moisture will slowly evaporate even through its seemingly impervious shell. The air pocket gets bigger (and of course the egg gets staler, so you may not want to eat the floaters). An old household hints book I have states that putting your newly bought eggs in water was a test of freshness – the sinkers were the keepers.
I boiled an egg, my last egg, about 17 years ago and before I turned the gas on, I noticed that it floated. No problem I thought until I was about half way through eating it and I scooped up an embryo.
I have since found out that an egg that floats before boiling is off. Also, did you know that eggs breathe? try putting an egg and a piece of raw meat side by side. See which one goes off first. It’s the same with fruit, it’ll last much longer than meat. Eggs and fruit actually take oxygen from the atmosphere to prevent hemselves going off.
sharkboy wrote:
Two killed and three injured from an egg detonation. Film at 11.