Name: ______

Period: ______

Date: ______

Ball Bounce

Potential and Kinetic Energy

Prior Knowledge:

  1. Describe energy: ______

______.

  1. Describe potential energy:______

______

  1. Describe kinetic energy: ______

______

Problem: How can the potential energy of a dropped ball be increased?

Hypothesis: If ______, then

______.

Procedure:

  1. Starting at the floor, stretch the tape vertically against the wall or table leg.
  2. Draw lines across the tape to mark ½ meter (50cm), ¾ meter (75cm), and 1 meter (100 cm) above the floor.
  3. Hold the ball at the ½ meter mark and drop it. Observe carefully as the ball bounces.
  4. Mark the height of the bounce on the tape.
  5. Use the meter stick to measure the height of the bounce and record it in the data table.
  6. Repeat steps 3-5 for a total of 3 trials.
  7. Hold the ball at the ¾ mark and repeat mark and repeat steps 3-6.
  8. Hold the ball at the 1 meter mark and repeat steps 3-6.

Starting
Height / Bounce Height #1
Trial 1 / Trial 2 / Trial 3 / Average Bounce Height
50 cm
75 cm
100 cm

Data:

Starting
Height / Bounce Height #2
Trial 1 / Trial 2 / Trial 3 / Average Bounce Height
50 cm
75 cm
100 cm

Mass of Basketball:______

Mass of Tennis Ball:______

  1. Compare and contrast Potential and Kinetic energy: ______

______

______

______

  1. When is work being done in this investigation? ______

______

______

______

  1. When did the ball have the most kinetic energy in this investigation? Explain.

______

______

______

  1. How were you able to increase the amount of potential energy the ball had? ___

______

  1. Describe a real world situation, other than a bouncing tennis ball, to explain how energy is transferred. ______

______

  1. Which ball bounced higher, the basketball or tennis ball? Why do you think so?

______

7. Did mass have an effect on bounce height? Did the heaviest ball bounce higher? Why do you think this is the case?

______