How to Get an Egg Into a Bottle

Co-authored by Meredith Juncker, PhD

It may seem like an impossible feat to get an egg inside of a milk bottle, but with a little scientific understanding and some common household items, it is totally possible! This is a fun, well-known science experiment.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Putting the Egg in the Bottle Using Matches

1
Boil and peel the egg. You might want to boil several eggs so you can try the trick more than once or in case something happens to your first egg.^{[1]
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- Put the egg in a pot full of water. Use warm water so it will boil faster.
- Boil the water by putting the pot on the stove set to Medium-High temperature. Let it sit there for 20 minutes while the water boils.
- Empty the boiling water into the sink being careful not to burn yourself. Use cold water to cool the egg, then peel the shell off.
- It can be helpful to tap the egg on the counter to crack the shell so that it is easier to peel.^{[2]
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2
Position the bottle. Stand the glass bottle upright with the opening skywards. This is the necessary position to perform this trick.
- Make sure that you use a glass bottle. Using a plastic bottle (or a bottle made of any material other than glass) could be very dangerous.
- The mouth of the bottle should be small, but still at least half the diameter of the egg (like a milk bottle).
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3
Light the matches. Carefully light three matches. With extreme caution, drop them into the bottle. Wait a second or two.^{[3]
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4
Place the egg on top of the bottle. Quickly put the egg onto the bottle's opening, wide end up. Don’t wait too long to put the egg on the bottle or the matches will go out and this trick won’t work.^{[4]
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5
Watch the egg squeeze into the bottle. After the matches go out, the egg will be pulled into the bottle. Then, you can amaze your friends with your egg in a bottle.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Putting the Egg in the Bottle Using Candles

1
Boil and peel the egg. You might want to boil several eggs so you can try the trick more than once or in case something happens to your first egg.
- Put the egg in a pot full of water. Use warm water so it will boil faster.
- Boil the water by putting the pot on the stove set to Medium-High temperature. Let it sit there for 20 minutes while the water boils.
- Empty the boiling water into the sink being careful not to burn yourself. Use cold water to cool the egg, then peel the shell off.
- It can be helpful to tap the egg on the counter to crack the shell so that it is easier to peel.^{[5]
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  Research source}
2
Stick the birthday candles in one end of the egg. Use two or three small birthday candles and place them in the narrow end of your peeled hard-boiled egg. Make sure they are securely in place, but not pushed in deep enough to make the egg fall apart.^{[6]
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3
Light the candles. Carefully (and with adult supervision) light the candles. They should burn easily.
4
Put the candles in an upside-down bottle. Take your bottle and place it upside down with the candles inside of it, being careful not to seal the opening with the body of the egg for a few seconds. You need to let the candles warm up the air inside the bottle first.^{[7]
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5
Watch the egg go into the bottle. After a couple seconds, lower the bottle fully so that the outside opening is sealed by the egg. The candles may go out with a pop, but in moments the egg will slide up into the bottle.
6
Explain how it works to your friends. This trick works because when the matches burn, they heat up the air inside the bottle and release steam (water) as a part of the combustion reaction. This process causes the air inside the bottle to expand, forcing some out of the bottle.^{[8]
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- Once the egg seals the top of the bottle, the matches quickly run out of oxygen and go out. As the air in the bottle cools, the volume of air inside the bottle drops due to condensation of the water vapor (look for the little "cloud" inside the bottle just as the match goes out) and the cooling of dry air.
- When the volume of the air drops, it exerts less pressure on the egg, while the air pressure outside of the bottle doesn't change. The egg is pushed into the bottle once the difference between those forces is sufficient to deform the egg and overcome friction with the neck of the bottle.

Expert Q&A
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Question

Will a hard plastic bottle work or just glass?

Meredith Juncker, PhD
Scientific Researcher
Meredith Juncker is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Her studies are focused on proteins and neurodegenerative diseases.

Meredith Juncker, PhD

Scientific Researcher

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Because you're putting matches or candles in the bottle, it's best to use glass. The heat from the flame from a match or candle may melt the plastic.
Question

How do I get the egg out?

Community Answer

Turn the bottle upside down. Make sure the egg is positioned well in the bottle neck. Continuing to hold the bottle upside down, hold it over your mouth and blow hard into the bottle. Quickly raise the bottle up and the egg will immediately pop down out of the bottle onto your mouth. The reason is that you added so much more air pressure into the bottle than the pressure outside the bottle. The pressure inside balanced with the outside by expanding the egg out of the bottle. A second method for removing it is to put the bottle in a cold ice chest or the fridge or freezer for several minutes to get the bottle air cold. Then remove the bottle upside down, and wait patiently several minutes.
Question

How do I get the egg inside the bottle with a matchstick?

Community Answer

The matchstick burns inside of the bottle consuming all of the oxygen. This creates a vacuum, causing the egg to get sucked into the bottle.

Warnings

Do not attempt this over a rug or similar objects.

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Do not do this project if you don't know how to use a lighter.

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If you have long hair, make sure to tie it back because hair is flammable.

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If you are under eighteen, do NOT attempt this without adult supervision. Have the adult light the matches for you if you are unsure.

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