Ping-Pong Ball Bounces Essay Example

Ping-Pong Ball Bounces Paper This section is mainly based on putting my planning into action, hence all of the practical work and not a lot of written work. The averages in the table are recorded to the nearest cm. Observations My results table shows that as the height of the drop increases, so does the average bounce. This is illustrated in the table whereby at 50cm the average bounce height is 36. 6cm, and then at 120cm the average bounce height is 75. 2cm. If I take away the height of drop from the height of bounce I can see that for each height the energy lost in sound and heat is fairly similar each time the ball is dropped. Height of Drop (cm) Potential Energy. (J) Kinetic Energy (J) 50 1200 1200 60 1440 1440 70 1680 1680 80 1920 1920 90 2160 2160 100 2400 2400 110 2640 2640 120 2880 2880 I can see from my table on potential and kinetic energy that as the height increases the potential energy increases and as this increases so does the kinetic energy as more energy is been converted. Analysis My graph has a straight line of best fit, which suggests that my results are proportional. This means that whatever happens to one factor, it does the same to the other. In my experiment, as I increased the height of the drop, the height of the bounce increased as well; therefore my prediction was correct. This trend occurred, because the higher the ball was dropped the more potential energy it had. When the ball was dropped the potential energy was converted into kinetic energy and since energy can neither be created or destroyed, only converted it will move at a faster speed; therefore when the ball hit the bench some of the energy was transformed into sound and heat. The energy left after impact and the fact that the upward force is dominating the downward force causes the ball to be forced back up into the air. The more kinetic energy at the bottom, the more can be converted back into potential energy, therefore the ball bounces higher. We will write a custom essay sample on Ping-Pong Ball Bounces specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ping-Pong Ball Bounces specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ping-Pong Ball Bounces specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer There are no obvious anomalous results and there is strong positive correlation between the height of the drop and the height of the bounce, as the points are fairly close to the line of best fit. Evaluation My experiment went reasonably well and efficiently, due to the plan that I had drawn up beforehand. I received fairly reliable results from which I drew a firm conclusion. I would not alter the amount of results next time as I managed to gain a maximum outcome in the time selected. I think that the experiment was fair to some extent, because I controlled all other identified variables and only varied the height. However there were some problems that occurred, which fortunately did not affect the results dramatically; therefore there were no anomalies. I can see from my plan that I conducted a fair test, whereby I used a ruler as a marker each time to help in gaining more reliable results, I repeated the experiment three times and took five readings for each height, I kept the angle of the ruler constant each time, I used the same equipment each time, I kept the mass and the temperature constant each time and I dropped the ball on the same surface each time. The problems that occurred when doing this experiment were those, the ball didnt bounce in a straight line some of the time; therefore it was difficult to receive good readings. This was most likely to have been caused by the wooden bench being uneven and I could restrict this from occurring next time by using a spirit level. The results could have also been affected slightly, because there could have been a crack on the section of the bench where the ball was dropped. I could varnish the bench next time so that there arent going to be any cracks that are liable to affect the results next time. The ruler that I used as a marker was not as efficient as using a light beam or a video camera, because by using a light beam I would have been able to read off the readings more accurately and with a video camera I could record the experiment and then use pause to freeze the picture and then read off the values. I could extend my investigation further by doing the experiment again, under exactly the same conditions, but this time I would investigate how a different mass of ping-pong ball affects how high it bounces. Even though I havent varied the mass in this present experiment, by doing this extended investigation I can determine how mass may be another major factor, which might affect how high a ping-pong ball bounces. Accordingly I can progress further in this area of physics and this will help me in my understanding of this subject.