Investigate the effect of temperature on the bounce height of a squash ball.

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Jade McGreevy                                 Page

Squash Ball Investigation

Task

        I am trying to investigate the effect of temperature on the bounce height of a squash ball.

Plan

Equipment:

  • Metre rule - to make sure the drop height is 1m and to measure the bounce height
  • Squash ball – to be able to conduct the experiment
  • Beaker – to create the water bath
  • Water – to create the water bath
  • Tongs – to keep the ball below the water bath surface
  • Thermometer – to ensure the water is at the right temperature
  • Timer – to ensure the ball stays in the water bath for the right amount of time
  • Kettle – to get the water bath to the higher temperatures
  • Ice – to get the water bath to the lower temperatures

Method

        I am going to use the temperature range of 0°C to 70°C and I will go up in 10°C. I will only go up to 70°C because I know that after that temperature the rubber of the squash ball becomes damaged. I went down to 0°C because it is the lowest temperature we can be sure of reaching at school. This temperature also shows a low bounce height and if the temperature goes any lower it would be very difficult to read the bounce height. I will repeat each temperature 5 times to ensure accurate results and to be able to get a good average. Also I will be able to see any anomalies and not take them into account for my average. I will use a water bath in which I will put the squash ball. I will leave the squash ball in the water bath for 3 minutes as I know from my preliminary work that it takes 3 minutes for the squash ball to reach thermal equilibrium. I will drop the ball from a height of one metre as I have found from my preliminary work that this is the best height to give me good results that gives a good range of results and is suitable for all the different temperature’s bounce heights. Also, I will take the bounce height measurements from the bottom of the ball each time. I will record all my results in a table with an average column so that my results can be compared. I will then put these results onto a graph to see if there are any patterns and how the results relate to the line of best fit.

Fair testing

        To make this a fair test I will make sure that I use the same amount of water in the beaker for each test and make sure that the water in the water bath stays at the right temperature when the squash ball is in it to make sure that the squash ball will reach thermal equilibrium. I will also make sure that the squash ball is left in the water bath for 3 minutes to ensure that the ball reaches thermal equilibrium. I will use the same squash ball throughout the experiment so that there is nothing affecting the results other than the temperature. I will take the measurement of the bounce height from the bottom of the ball each time so that the results are in proportion to each other and can be compared.

Prediction

        I know that before the ball is dropped, energy is stored as GPE (gravitational potential energy). As the ball falls its speed increases and the GPE is converted to KE (kinetic energy), so half way through the fall half of the ball’s energy id GPE and half is KE. Just before the ball hits the floor all its energy is KE and none of it is GPE. Once the ball hits the floor, all the KE is converted to EPE (elastic potential energy) and some is lost as heat and sound energy which makes its energy less than its initial GPE. When the ball bounces back off the floor the EPE is converted back to KE, heat and sound. The ball will start to slow down as it rises and its KE is converted back to GPE but because some of its initial energy has been converted to heat and sound it will finish with less GPE than it started with.

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Therefore I think that the hotter the ball is, the higher its bounce height will be. I think this because I know from my background scientific knowledge that when the gas inside the ball heats up, the volume of the gas expands and the molecules will move faster which will cause them to hit the sides more often and harder. This makes the rubber expand and store more elastic energy. This would mean that the bounce height would be bigger because the more stretched the rubber is, the better it converts elastic potential energy into kinetic energy when the ball ...

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