The
Bouncing Ball Experiment
The Question- Which of the balls are going to
bounce the highest?
The Research-
Properties
Rubber is not only elastic, but is also waterproof and is
a good electrical insulator. Natural rubber is resilient and is resistant to
tearing. Some types of rubber are resistant to oils, solvents, and other
chemicals.
In a raw state, natural and synthetic rubber become
sticky when hot and brittle when cold. The vulcanization process modifies
rubber so that these changes will not occur. In the typical vulcanization
process, sulfur and certain other substances are added to raw rubber and the
mixture is then heated. The process tends to increase rubber's elasticity and
its resistance to heat, cold, abrasion, and oxidation. It also makes rubber
relatively airtight and resistant to deterioration by sunlight.
The molecules that make up rubber are long, coiled, and
twisted. They are elongated by a stretching force and tend to resume their
original shape when the force is removed, giving rubber the property of
elasticity. Vulcanization sets up chemical linkages between the molecules,
improving rubber's ability to return to its original shape after it is
stretched.
Uses
Rubber is made into articles as diverse as raincoats and
sponges, bowling balls and pillows, electrical insulation and erasers. People
ride on rubber tires and walk on rubber heels. Rubber is also used in toys,
balls, rafts, elastic bandages, adhesives, paints, hoses, and a multitude of
other products.
The single most important use of rubber is for tires.
Most tires contain several kinds of rubber, both natural and synthetic. Radial
automobile tires contain a greater percentage of natural rubber than other
types of automobile tires because radial tires have flexible sidewalls that
tend to produce a buildup of heat, to which natural rubber has a superior
resistance. Either natural or synthetic rubber is suitable for most uses, and
price determines which is used.
Baseball: Heavy, round, hard, and the biggest.
Tennis ball: Fuzzy, medium sized, and round.
Green ball: Small, not round and foam.
Pink ball: Rubber, small, round, and light.
Yellow ball: Plastic, holes, hollow, and medium sized.
The Hypothesis-
I think the tennis ball will go the highest and the
baseball will go the lowest.
The Experiment-
In our experiment we bounced every ball from the same
distance and using a ruler we measured how high it went. We bounced each ball three times then recorded
the results. After we finished we did it
all again but on a desk instead of the carpet.
We found the average of each ball so it would be easier to find which
ball bounced the highest.
Variable- A variable is a condition(s) that a project has. There are two important variables: an independent
variable or a dependant variable. An independent
variable is a variable that you can change (example: you can change how much
water a plant gets by giving it more or less water). A dependent variable is a variable that you
cannot change but you can observe it and record the results (example: you can’t
change how much a plant grows but you can measure and observe it)
Desk Graph
Carpet Graph
The Observation-
The lighter balls
bounced higher except for the Green ball because of its odd shape. The information could be wrong if we didn’t
drop it from the right height or we accidentally hit the desk.
The Conclusion-
Our Hypothesis was half right. The tennis ball did bounce the highest on the carpet but on the desk the Pink ball bounced the highest. THis shows that an independent variable can change everything.
