Soccer Ball Experiment

Data Analysis

Does the type of ball affect how far it rolls when rolled down a ramp? The hypothesis for this experiment was “If the different types of balls are rolled down a ramp, then the soccer ball will roll the farthest.” The independent variable, the variable that was intentionally changed, were the types of balls. The distance each ball rolled is the dependent variable. The experimental group includes the soccer ball, the basketball, the tennis ball, the golf ball, the marble, the baseball, and the ping pong ball. The soccer ball’s distance is the control group. Some of the control variables are the angle of the ramp, the surface of the ramp, and the surface of the ground. Some important procedures for this experiment is to roll each

The soccer ball was first rolled down the ramp. During Trial 1, the soccer ball rolled 378.5 centimeters (cm). The soccer ball rolled 349.3 cm in Trial 2 and 340.4 cm in Trial 3.The distance the soccer ball rolled decreased every trial. The average distance the soccer ball rolled is 356.1 cm. The basketball was rolled down next. It rolled 426.7 cm during Trial 1, 586.7 cm in Trial 2, and 553.7 cm during Trial 3. The farthest the basketball rolled was during Trial 2. The average distance for the basketball was 521.0 cm. After the basketball came the tennis ball. The tennis ball did not roll as far as the other two balls. It only rolled 177.8 cm in Trial 1, 196.8 cm during Trial 2, and 200.0 cm in Trial 3. The tennis ball rolled an average difference of 191.6 cm. The golf ball was rolled down after the tennis ball. During Trial 1, it rolled 277.9 cm. In Trial 2, it rolled 294.6 cm and in Trial 3, the golf ball rolled 308.6 cm. Each time the golf ball was rolled, it rolled farther. The golf ball rolled an average of 293.6 cm. The marble was rolled down next. The marble is the

The distance each ball rolled varied. Yet, even though the marble is the smallest ball, it still rolled farther than the tennis ball, golf ball, and the baseball. This is also true for the ping pong ball, except that the ping pong ball did not roll farther than the golf ball. This shows that the size of the ball does not affect how far each ball rolls. The results may have turned out the way they did because of how smooth the surface of the ball was. Given that the tennis ball was covered in fuzz and that the baseball had red stitches, they rolled the least. The basketball and the soccer ball were mostly smooth, with a few minor dips, and rolled the farthest. Another reason why the results turned out the way they did is because of the weight of the ball. As the balls rolled down the ramp, they gathered momentum to push them further. This may be why the basketball rolled the farthest. The marble, although is smooth, does not weigh as much as the basketball. Therefore, it only rolled the third