Investigating factors that affect the bounce height of a squash ball
SC1 Investigation 6/10/06 Investigating factors that affect the bounce height of a squash ball Christopher Lewis Candidate number: 2670 SC1 Investigation Investigating factors that affect the bounce height of a squash ball . Planning ) Investigating factors that affect the bounce height of a squash ball. 2) Background Information I have decided to investigate how the height from which a squash ball is dropped affects the height of its bounce. When a ball is dropped, it accelerates until it collides with the surface - an impact. It then recoils, and some of the energy is reflected back upwards, causing it to bounce. I believe that as the height from which the ball is dropped changes, the speed of the ball at the moment of impact will also change. This is because when the ball is dropped, it accelerates due to the force of gravity. Newton's law states that if the force acting on an object is not zero or the resultant force acting is not zero then the object will accelerate. In this case, the force acting on the object (gravity) is greater than the air resistance, so the object accelerates downwards. Theoretically, when the ball is travelling at a faster speed, there will be more force at the point of impact (due to the increased kinetic energy). Therefore, more potential energy will be stored in the ball as the collisions takes place, which will then be converted
