Final answer:
The parachute helps to prevent the egg from breaking by increasing air friction, which decreases the descending speed and the impact force upon landing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The parachute prevents the egg from breaking by increasing air friction, which in turn decreases the descending speed of the device as it hits the ground. This concept is related to the physics of air resistance, which complicates the motion of objects through the air. In our real-world scenario, air resistance acts against the gravity pulling the objects down, slowing their descent. For example, a tennis ball falls slower than a baseball when both are dropped from the same height due to the air resistance they encounter, which is larger for the lighter tennis ball.
When the parachute of the student's device opens, it significantly increases the surface area exposed to air resistance, which creates a drag force opposing the downward acceleration due to gravity. This drag force is the reason behind the device descending at a slower speed, ultimately reducing the impact force when the device lands on the ground, thus helping to prevent the egg from breaking. This principle is similar to that of an airbag in a car which increases the time over which the force acts during a collision, thereby decreasing the force and protecting the car's occupants.