Aim: The aim of this experiment was to calculate and compare the energy efficiency of bouncing balls.
Hypothesis: I predict that the soft balls will bounce higher than all of the other balls because they will be springier.
Independent Variable: The independent variables in this experiment are the type of balls. There are 10 different types of balls in this experiment.
Dependent Variable: The dependent variables in this experiment are the bounce height of the balls and the bounce efficiency of the balls.
Constant Factors: The constant factors in this experiment are the height from which the balls are dropped, the surface on which the ball was bounced upon and the velocity, which is dependent on the distance travelled and gravity, both of
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Results:
Ball Bounce Height 1 Bounce Height 2 Bounce Height 3 Average Bounce Efficiency
Purple Bouncy Ball 68 70 71 69.666 69.666%
Yellow Non-Bouncy Ball 19 19.5 19 19.166666 19.16666%
Green and Blue Bouncy Ball 71 73 70 71.3333 71.13333%
Orange Marble Dye Ball 60 61 62 61 61%
Tennis Ball 50.5 50 52 50.8333 50.8333%
Black Small Non-Bouncy Ball 33 34 32 33 33%
Soccer Ball 68 67 67 67.3333 67.3333%
Golf Ball 72 77 78 75.66667 75.666667%
Holey White Ball 66 62 63 63.666667 63.6666667%
Tiny Yellow Bouncy Ball 78 77 80 78.33333 78.3333333%
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The ability to be compressed, the elasticity, the size, the weight, the material the ball is made from, the air pressure inside the ball, the temperature of the ball, the hardness and softness of the ball and the surface it is bounced on. The material of a ball can greatly influence the bounce. The bounce of balls with an outer covering, such as tennis balls and basketballs, will change over time. The surface on which they are played on gradually wears off the outer covering, changing the mass and the shape of the ball, therefore changing the bounce. Certain materials, such as rubber, produce a high bounce. This is because rubber is very elastic. Elasticity is the ability for an object to return to its original shape after being stretched or compressed. Elasticity is required because when a ball bounces, it is distorted into a more elliptical shape. Balls with high elasticity will create more elastic potential energy from the compressed ball. The ability for the balls to be compressed is important because without compression, the balls cannot create the elastic potential energy. The elastic potential energy is converted into kinetic energy when the ball bounces up again. The surfaces on which balls are bounced are also important. Harder surfaces will produce higher bounces than soft surfaces such as carpet or grass. In our experiment, we were bouncing balls on hard concrete tiles. The temperature also affects