I am doing a project on what projects biodegrade, I put a rubber eraser in as a experiment. We had to shake the jar we put it in after a week. I need to know the purpose of shacking the jar.
I know that one needs to 'shake' compost so that the decomposition goes on well. This is for keeping a suitable temperature for the microbes to act upon the decomposing matter. I don't know if that may have any link with your project.