Planning and Designing lab

Date: January 12, 2022

Title: Investigating the relationship between drop height and rebound height of a
ball

Problem Statement:

A student suggests that there is a proportional relationship between the height from
which a ball is dropped and its rebound height. Design an experiment to determine
if this suggestion is true or not.

Hypothesis: If I release a ball from a greater height then the rebound distance
will be greater.

Aim: To determine how the height of the ball’s release affects its rebound
height.

Apparatus: Tape measure and a ball.

Diagram of apparatus
Variables: Manipulated: The height at which the ball bounces.

Responding: Hardness of the bounce surface.

Control: The ball used, the height the ball is dropped from, the tape
measure.

Method:

1). Obtain a handball

2). Place the tape measure vertically on the floor with 0cm pointing down

4). Hold the ball at a height of 1cm and carefully drop the ball then observe
the bounce height.

3). Record the height

Expected Results: It is expected that the ball will have a greater rebound
distance if it is released at a greater height.

Table Showing: The starting height of the ball vs the rebound height.

Starting height (cm) Rebound height (cm)

Interpretation of results: A typical ball bounces at 60% of its original height

because it stores and returns 60% of the energy it had before. As the drop
height increases, the kinetic energy of the ball before it hits the ground is
larger as velocity has increased. Due to the increase in kinetic energy, the
rebound height therefore increases.

Precautions/possible sources of errors/assumptions:

 Possible sources of errors are; ball height not recorded on time, incorrect
apparatus used.