physics: you can't throw a raw egg against the cement sidewalk w/o braeking it...?

Question

but you can throw it at the same speed into springy grass without breaking it. Explain why

Answer 1

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The cement does not absorb the kinetic energy, so when the egg hits the cement all of its energy of motion remains in the egg itself - it slows down instantly and its shell is not strong enough to dissipate the energy without breaking.

The grass is flexible and resilient, and each blade will absorb a small amount of the kinetic energy of the egg, slowing it down more gradually.

Answer 2

one of them is elastic and the other is inelastic. The grass 'deforms' to cushion the egg, while the wall doesn't.