Banding Together Lab

1

Name: ______

Date: ______

Rubber Band Lab

Purpose: To determine how stretching affects the distance a rubber band can be launched.

Materials: Safety goggles

Rubber Bands (2 different thicknesses &/or lengths)

Metric ruler (~12”) & Meter stick

Three person Teams:

One person is the firing officer, who also does the measuring

One person is the recorder (neatness of finished product counts)

One person is the launcher

Hypothesis:

Procedure:

Measure your rubber band (length & width) along a metric ruler/stick to the nearest millimeter:

UNSTRETCHED RUBBER BAND MEASUREMENT TABLE:

Thinner rubber band width: ______mm length: ______mm

Thicker rubber band width: ______mm length: ______mm

1.  Hold a ruler on its long edge, with the front-end (0.0 mm) flush with the end of the launch surface (a lab table in the classroom or a chair seat in the hall).

2.  Place a rubber band so that one end of it just catches the end of the ruler.

3.  Pull the other end of the rubber band back one cm beyond its un-stretched length and hold it down flat against the ruler with one finger.

4.  When directed by the firing range officer, release the rubber band. The officer should measure the distance that the rubber band travels, & the recorder should record it on the data table. Measure to the point where the rubber band finally comes to rest, not where it first touches: the rubber band may bounce.

5.  Conduct two more trials with that same band.

6.  Calculate the average distance from all three trials and record it on the table.

7.  Repeat steps 1-6 but change the amount of stretch to 2cm, 3cm, and 4cm.

8.  If time permits, swap your rubber band for one with another thickness, measure & record it in table above #1 above & then proceed to steps 1-6 with that new band.

Data Table: (for 1st thickness/length rubber band)

Data Table: (for 2nd thickness/length rubber band)

Graph your results of the average distance traveled for each stretch using a line graph on graph paper. Use a different color for each rubber band. Do this on a separate sheet of graph paper.

Summarize Your Results:

This means to describe your results without saying what you think they mean – do not draw any conclusions yet. State whether your hypothesis was correct.

Analysis Question:

Did the length/thickness of the rubber bands affect the results? Why do you think this did/did not affect results?