The Effect the Type of Surface has on a Bouncy Ball's Return Height

By: Ben K., Nishi, Kaitlin

Objective​: To use 8 different surfaces and observe, record and understand how each of the
surfaces affect the ball’s return height after bouncing with a meter stick.

Materials​:
❖ A medium sized solid rubber bouncy ball
❖ Meter stick
❖ (8) types of surfaces
➢ 3-Ply dinner napkin
➢ 2-Ply Bounty paper Towel
➢ 1-Ply commercial grade paper Towel
➢ A gallon size Ziploc baggie
➢ 8.5x11 standard printer paper
➢ 2-Ply reinforced cardboard
➢ Standard aluminum foil
➢ School science lab table

Prediction​:​ Which surface will result as the greatest return height to the least return
height?

1. Lab table
2. Aluminum foil
3. Commercial grade paper towel
4. 8.5x11 standard printer paper
 5. 2-Ply Bounty paper Towel
6. 2-Ply reinforced cardboard
7. A gallon size Ziploc baggie
8. 3-Ply dinner napkin

Surface item name Return Height Return Height Return Height Average Return
One in cm Two in cm Three in cm height in cm

Lab Table 38 35 35 36

Aluminum Foil 34 33 32 33

Commercial grade 34 35 35 34.666666667

paper towel

8.5x11 Standard 34 35 35 34.6666666667

Printer Paper

2-Ply Bounty 32 33 32 32.33333333

paper Towel

2-Ply reinforced 22 24 24 23.33333333333

cardboard

A gallon size 32 34 34 33.33333333333

Ziploc baggie

3-Ply dinner 33 32 33 33.66666666667

napkin
Google Slides Layout. Suggested Sentence Starters​:
1. Say the title and some names. Nothing too specific. “The title of this…”
2. “The goal of this lab experiment is to…[someone read the text in its entirety]”
3. “The materials we were given to use for this lab were…”
4. “Based on the surface types we were given, our group predicted that the bouncy ball
would have the greatest return on the...the least on the … and we ordered the rest from
the greatest to least… Lab Table, Aluminum Foil, etc.
5. The narrator must incorporate the​ ​exact​ ​procedure. The highest, the lowest bounce, the
tries, the averages, the way we exactly used this experiment and conglomerated all our
 data into a finished product. Make sure include that the ball was bounced from the same
height. Include that we did not include outliers. Include an EXAMPLE
6. Qualitative Data, the videos and explain the videos. “As seen in the videos from the next
two slides, from the visuals, you can see that the ball’s initial height was the kept the
same, etc. ​Explain in depth. Not anything numerical!
7. Qualitative Data, the videos and explain the videos. “As seen in the videos from the next
two slides, from the visuals, you can see that the ball’s initial height was the kept the
same, etc. ​Explain in depth. Not anything numerical!
8. Explain whether your groups prediction was right or wrong. Include how close you were.
9. Least on the left and greatest on the right. “In comparing the…”
10. How does the type of surface affect the bouncy ball’s bounce?

Slide One:
Title
Can Put By and your names.
Slide Two:
The Objective
Slide Three:
List of Materials. A picture and description of all the materials
Slide Four:
Predictions
Slide Five:
Data Table
Slides Six and Seven:
Videos
Slide Eight:
Was your groups prediction correct?
Slide Nine:
Side-by-Side​ comparison: Quantitative and Qualitative data.
Slide Ten:
Research extension

MUST INCLUDE THESE TERMS:

● Gravitational potential energy
● Converted into Kinetic Energy, specifically into mechanical energy
● Heat Energy (Thermal Energy)- done
● THE BALL will never return back up to the same height- done
Slide 1 Nishi​ - “The title of this presentation is ​The Effect the Type of Surface has on a Bouncy 
Ball Return Height. Created By Ben, Kaitlin, and Nishi. In this slideshow, we will be investigating 
how different surfaces affect a bouncy ball return height. 

Slide 2 Ben​ - “The goal of this lab experiment is to experiment the bouncy ball’s return height
after bouncing is from eight different surfaces, analysing how each of them impact the ball’s
height with a meter stick.

Slide 3 Kaitlin​ - “The materials we were given to use for this lab was a medium sized solid
rubber bouncy ball, one meter stick, and 8 different types of surfaces, including 3-ply dinner
napkin, 2-ply Bounty paper Towel, 1-ply commercial grade paper Towel, a gallon size Ziploc
baggie, 8.5x11 standard printer paper, 2-ply reinforced cardboard, standard aluminum foil, and
school science lab table.”

Slide 4 Nishi ​- “Based on the surface types we were given, our group predicted that the bouncy
ball would have the greatest return on the lab table and the least on the 3-Ply dinner napkin. We
ordered the rest from the greatest to least: Lab Table, Aluminum Foil, Commercial grade paper
towel, 8.5x11 standard printer paper, 2-Ply Bounty paper Towel, 2-Ply reinforced cardboard, A
gallon size Ziploc baggie, 3-Ply dinner napkin. We ordered the table as the highest because it is
the hardest and the least malleable. And we picked the dinner napkin as last because we
thought that because it is three layered, it would provide enough cushioning to lower the ball’s
height significantly.”

*Ben is slide Five. The narrator must incorporate the​ ​exact​ ​procedure. The highest, the lowest
bounce, the tries, the averages, the way we exactly used this experiment and conglomerated all
our data into a finished product. Make sure include that the ball was bounced from the same
height. Include that we did not include outliers. Include an EXAMPLE.

Slide 5 Ben​ - “This is our quantitative data represented here in this data table. With each trial,
we recorded the height in centimeters. With each surface, we executed three separate tries and
averaged the three to figure out which of them bounced the ball the highest. We did not include
any outliers in this procedure. Each time, we held the ball up at 50 centimeters as the ball would
have more gravitational potential energy if we had dropped it from a lower height. Post dropping
the ball, the ball released its potential energy in the form of kinetic energy, specifically in
mechanical and thermal energy.”

Slide 6 Kaitlin​ - “Here on slide 6 are some of our videos, each displaying the bouncing
procedure with each of four surfaces. Each time, we dropped the ball from a height of 50
centimeters and compared the results accordingly.”

Slide 7 Nishi​ - “Here are the rest of our clips demonstrating the four other types of surfaces
bouncy ball return heights.”

Slide 8 Ben - ​Ben- ​Our predictions were somewhat accurate. We were correct about the lab 
table having the greatest results. But we were wrong everywhere else. Although some of our 
results were close the predicted equivalent. 
For example, we predicted the 8.5x11 standard printer paper was going to be the fourth greatest 
but instead, it was the third. Also, we predicted the commercial grade paper towel to be the third 
greatest but instead it was the second as we underestimated its thickness and bouncing ability. 

Slide 9 Kaitlin - ​In comparing the greatest return height with the lowest return height, we can
see that the ball on the left bounced up higher than the one on the right. The ball was bounced
from 50cm, so was unable to return to quite as high as that due to the ball bouncing of the table.
When the ball bounces off the table it creates thermal energy which slows the ball down. The
highest the ball bounced to was the lab table at an average of 36 cm and the lowest was the
Two-Ply reinforced cardboard, at an average of 23.33cm

Slide 10 Nishi - ​The type of surface affects a basketball return height can be demonstrated 
with a hardwood floor, and a mattress. The Mattress, soft and cushioned, absorbs the 
basketball’s force and almost stops the ball. The hardwood floor, hard and firm, would be 
excellent at making the basketball bouncing back up at almost the drop height.