INTRODUCTION

This lab was done to try and learn better about how math works on geometric series’.
The sum of a geometric series is written in the formula a/(1-r), where a is the first term, and r is
the common ratio. If a ball is dropped from a height and keeps bouncing forever, you would
expect the second bounce to be less than the first bounce. The factor by which it’s divided each
time it bounces is the common ratio, or r. a is then the first time it bounces. But in this case, a is
actually divided in half since the ball is dropped at a certain height, and doesn’t have the first
half of the parabola. In this case, the geometric series is convergent, not divergent. If it’s
convergent, the number keeps adding until it reaches infinity. Infinity means something so big
that it can’t be reached. 10^100 is not even 0.00000001% of infinity. It’s 0%. But if it’s divergent,
the number keeps adding until it reaches a number. Think about this convergent geometric
series: 1 + 10 + 100 + 1000… + 10^100. ^ means to the power of. In other words, 10^100
means 10 with 100 zeroes. If it’s convergent, the number keeps getting smaller. 1 + 0.5 + 0.25 +
0.125 + 0.0625. Eventually, the numbers add up all together to become one number. In this
case, the sum is 2.
Hypothesis 1 - on carpet : The ball would bounce a little and stop bouncing after a few bounces.
Hypothesis 2 - on floor: The ball would bounce higher on first bounce. It would be roughly the
same after that.

MATERIALS
Stress ball
Carpet and floor
Ruler

PROCEDURE
1) Get materials.
2) Crouch down.
3) Hold the ruler in front of you flat on the surface with the long side up.
4) Hold the ball at the highest height away from you but far enough that it bounces on the
surface.
5) Drop down the ball and estimate the first height.
6) Count the amount of times it drops.
7) Repeat previous steps (I’d assume you already have 1) but do it on the floor.

RESULTS
Carpet:
⅓, then ½, then bounces after are probably even less decimals (actually trial 3 but this one was
only measured).

Floor:
Trial 1: 40 cm, 15 bounces.

Trial 2: ball rolled to right-down of me, 16 bounces. 40 cm.

Trial 3: 16 bounces. 40 cm.

DISCUSSION
Patterns: These two had similar results. They both bounced the same height, except the floor
allowed the ball to bounce more at the end.

Unexpected things:
Unexpectedly, the ball was kept on the chair which was hard to find.

I didn’t expect to need a ruler.

Unexpectedly, the ball bounced the same height (⅓, about 40 cm), and bounced more at the
end. It bounced 15 or 16 times.

Big picture:
Do my findings help a bigger picture? No. Accounting for multiple sources of error, this isn’t a
math problem. It’s not theoretical, it’s in real-life. It’s more of a physics problem.

CALCULATIONS
S = a/(1-r)
S = 1/[1-(0.5/0.66666)]
S = 1/(1-0.75)
S = 4m
The sum of the ball bouncing was 4m.

This is contradictory, since a ball dropped from 7m, which decreases by ⅔ each time, can have
a sum of 18m (according to the textbook, it bounced 10 times).
Dividing 18 by 7 (because 7/7 = 1, balancing out the equation), = 2.6m. It’s easier to add up all
the bounces.

1m + 40cm + 40cm + (40 x 0.25) + 10 cm + (10/4) + 2.5 cm + (2.5/4) + 0.625cm + (0.625/4) +

0.16 cm + (0.16/4) + 0.04 + (0.04/4) + 0.01 + 0.01 (other bounces are negligible, as well,
bounces didn’t measure as 0.1 of a millimeter),

100 + 40 + 40 + 10 + 10 + 2.5 + 2.5 + 0.625 + 0.625 + 0.16 + 0.16 + 0.04 + 0.04 + 0.01 + 0.01 =
206 (2m).

This clearly shows that geometric series’ can’t be demonstrated in balls, as this is more of a
physics problem. Not only is energy lost in sound and rotation, but the ball seems to have more
of a parabola for how much it’s height is divided. It goes from about ⅓ to ½, then ½, and then ⅔,
¾, ⅞, 15/16, and so on. Something like that. Also, the ball did not just bounce 1/10 of a
millimeter. In that case, it would look like it was vibrating. I can only guess the ball was around
2m because 1m + 40cm + 40cm + 20cm + 20cm = 2m. Since the ball bounced less on the
carpet, I hypothesize that the carpet had a lesser sum than the floor.
SOURCES OF ERROR
Different balls
Different carpets and floors
Especially you dropping at different heights, people have different heights
Dropping factor matters - you can tilt left or right
Gravity is different around the world.
Air resistance is clearly negligible.
Ball rolls off and goes everywhere. Force is loss in kinetic energy.

CONCLUSION
I dropped a ball and tried to calculate using a geometric series. I learned that hypotheses can
be completely the opposite, as in this lab balls actually have good elasticity. Next time I will use
a better ball, a better/digital measuring system, and better surfaces (basically in a lab
environment)