The angle at which I drop the object will also affect the size of the crater. To make it a fair test I will have to drop the object from the same angle ever time. I will drop the ball from 90 degrees above the surface of the sand, this will create a crater which is nearly even, meaning that the radius from the centre to the outside edge of the crater would be the same length. If the golf ball was dropped from a shallower angle then the crater would be longer, but the diameter of the crater would stay the same, as if the golf ball had been dropped from directly above the surface of the sand.
When I drop the golf ball I wouldn’t have to throw the golf ball in to the sand as the velocity would not be constant, and this could not be controlled, as I would not be able to drop it with the same force each time. By just releasing the golf ball from my hand at the correct height would mean that the velocity of the golf ball in each tests would be the same.
I think as I double the input, the output will also double, this is a quantitative prediction, so as I double the height I drop the golf ball from, the Gravitational potential energy (g.p.e), should also double. The force of impact is equal to the mass of an object multiplied by its acceleration.
Different materials have different masses, which will affect the size of the crater. If the mass is increased, but the gravitational force and height above the sand stay the same, the gravitational potential energy will increase, and also the kinetic energy of the impact will increase too.
Crater size is related to the mass and velocity of the impacting body. Mass and velocity can be combined to find the kinetic energy of an golf ball. Increasing either the mass or the velocity of the golf ball increases the kinetic energy of the impact. Kinetic energy means energy in motion, the formula for kinetic energy is,
ke=1/2 x m x (v)²
Or Kinetic energy = ½ x Mass x (speed)²
Where, m is mass and v is velocity.
The factor I will be investigating is what affect height has on the size of the crater formed. To do this I will use this formula,
Gravitational potential energy (J) = Mass (Kg) x G(m/s²) x Height above the sand (m).
Where ‘G’ is how strong the gradational force is at a particular place on the Earths surface. On the Earth this is about 10N/Kg. The height must be vertical height for this formula to work. I will then increase the crater made and compare it with other heights, by doing this I predict that as the height increases so will the gravitational potential energy. By dropping the golf ball from the same angle but at a higher distance it will create a larger crater because the force of gravity makes the object increase its speed with time. The more I increase the height the more speed and velocity the object gains, meaning that the crater will be larger as I increase the height. The higher the drop height, the greater the velocity of the golf ball, so a larger crater will be made and the ejected sand will spread out farther. When the golf ball hits the sand some of the energy is transferred to heat energy, due to friction. Also during the impact, the kinetic energy is transferred to the surface, moving the particles sand around. When the object hits the sand
