SPH3U1 – Inquiry Lab – Energy Lost when Bouncing a Ball

PROBLEM:
How does the height you drop a ball from affect the percent energy lost when the ball bounces?

(3) Identify: Independent variable: height ball is dropped from

Dependent variable: percent of energy lost
Controlled variables (as many as you can think of): type of ball, surface ball hits, temp of room, any
added resistance (ex.if ball hits ruler on way up)
(2) HYPOTHESIS: (If …. then … because …. )

The greater he height the ball is dropped from, the more kinetic energy will be turned into thermal
energy from greater air resistance both ways and greater energy loss when ball bounces.

MATERIALS:
Metre stick, ball

Planning: before starting your data collection, consider the following questions:
What data do you need to collect?
How many different heights will you use? What are they?
How will you measure the height the ball bounces to as accurately as possible?
How many trials will you do at each height?
What columns should be included in your data table (both for collected data and calculations)?
How will you calculate % energy lost?

(5) PROCEDURE:
Write a step-by-step procedure that outlines how you will do the lab. It must be detailed enough that
someone else could follow it and carry out the lab in the same way you did. NOTE that you may change
any steps as needed while doing the lab.

TEST
Get a bouncy rubber ball and a meter stick to measure with. Stand meter stick straight up, ideally using
some form of clamp (such as pinching the meter stick between two desks so it stands up straight). Then,
measuring from the bottom of the ball at all times, drop the ball from the desired measurement on the
meter stick (ex. Drop from 0.60m). Then, carefully measure the height the bottom of the ball reaches on
the way back up. Do this test a few times for each height to confirm the accuracy of the tests.
CALCULATING %ENERGY LOST
First, calculate the average bounce height (add each bounce height, then divide by number of times
dropped) for each height dropped (ex. 0.50m avg from a 0.60m drop height). Then to calculate the
efficiency, divide the average bounce height by the height dropped from, and multiply by 100 (ex.
0.50/0.60 x100). Finally, subtract the efficiency from 100 to calculate the percent lost.

Communication will be judged on clarity, use of proper terminology, units, labels, and overall effectiveness.
(4) OBSERVATIONS:
Make a data table for your observations.

Height Dropped From (m)

Test # 0.60 0.55 0.50 0.45

1 0.49 0.43 0.40 0.37

2 0.52 0.45 0.40 0.36

3 0.49 0.44 0.39 0.36

Avg. 0.50 0.44 0.396 0.363

Bounce Height (m)

(2) SAMPLE CALCULATIONS:

For one entry in the data table, show detailed sample calculations.

avg= 0.49+0.49+0.52
100
avg= 0.50m

efficiency= 0.50
0.60
efficiency= 83.33%

%lost= 100-83.33
%lost= 16.67%

(5) GRAPH:
Plot a graph that illustrates how the percentage energy lost varied with the drop height. (remember –
dependent vs. independent!).

Communication will be judged on clarity, use of proper terminology, units, labels, and overall effectiveness.
(4) DISCUSSION:
Write a statement as to whether the hypothesis is supported or refuted and how your data shows this.
Discuss any experimental errors and how they affect your data. Discuss how your lab could be
improved (what would you do differently next time).

My hypothesis is refuted. Overall, there was less %energy lost the higher the ball was dropped from.
However, the data was not very consistent. This could be because the measuring was not very precise- I
only had my eyes to measure how high the ball bounced. A better way to do this could be by using video
to measure and review how high the ball bounced, however, I did not have time to do this.

2) CONCLUSION: (write one sentence that answers the original problem)

The higher the ball is dropped from, the lower the %energy lost.

Communication will be judged on clarity, use of proper terminology, units, labels, and overall effectiveness.