This is a fascinating question that can come up in any human mind. Considering the fact that an egg is enclosed in a shell that is easily broken by us, how can it not break inside the hen? What is the mystery behind this phenomenon and why do we not see this in day to day life? Let’s discuss!
Well, as crazy as it may sound, eggs can actually break inside the hen. Yes, there is a possibility for this to happen, but, fortunately, it’s scarce. The reason behind it is that eggs are actually pretty solid, even when strong forces are applied over their entire shell.
Let’s consider a practical example to understand this concept.
Take an egg and wrap your whole hand around it. Try to make as much surface contact as possible. Once, you have a strong grip, try breaking it. Apply as much force as you can. You will find it pretty difficult to break the egg by squeezing it.
But, if you take the same egg, and pinch it between two fingertips, it will break with a lot more ease. Because, this time, the force will be concentrated on a smaller area of the eggshell.
Similarly, imagine poking an egg with the point of a sharpened pencil. It would pierce through pretty easily, right? On the other hand, imagine pushing an egg onto a soft clay ball. This clay ball will take a lot more pressure to break it.
Let’s just consider the soft clay ball or your hand as the inside of a hen. When the egg is being pushed, the force is applied evenly from all directions—same scenario as your hand or the clay ball. When the force is diffused in all directions, it makes the eggshell very hard to break. This is why we don’t see cases of cracking inside the hen.