Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Bouncing Balls Activity –

Bouncing Balls Worksheet

Data

Bouncing Balls Activity – Bouncing Balls Worksheet 1

Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Ball Types: Surface Types:

Ball 1:__________________________ Surface 1:________________________

Ball 2:__________________________ Surface 2:________________________

Ball 3:__________________________ Surface 3:________________________

Bouncing Balls Activity – Bouncing Balls Worksheet 2

Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ______________________

1. Based on the Height of the bounce for each ball, is the collision more elastic or inelastic?
Fill in the table accordingly.

Mass of Ball Bounce Elastic or

Case Ball Surface
(kg) Height (m) Inelastic

Bouncing Balls Activity – Bouncing Balls Worksheet 3

Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Calculations and Results

2. Calculate the velocity of each ball right before it hits the surface (Starting Velocity). Why do
you only have to perform this calculation once?

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3. Calculate the velocity of each ball right after it hits the surface (Ending Velocity).

4. Calculate the momentum of each ball before it hits the surface (Starting Momentum).

5. Calculate the momentum of each ball after it hits the surface (Ending Momentum).

Bouncing Balls Activity – Bouncing Balls Worksheet 4

Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ______________________

6. Calculate the change in momentum and the percentage of momentum that was lost for each
case.

Fill in the Table below with your answers:

Case Starting Ending Starting Ending Change in Percent of

Velocity Velocity Momentum Momentum Momentum Momentum
(m/s) (m/s) (kg*m)/s (kg*m)/s (kg*m)/s Lost

Bouncing Balls Activity – Bouncing Balls Worksheet 5

Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Further Learning
7. Why did all of the balls lose momentum? What happened to the momentum that was lost?

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8. What would have happened if the collisions were perfectly elastic? Use your own words or
calculations to help explain your answer.

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9. Based on your experiments, which ball would be the best to use for dodge ball? For
bowling? Why?

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Bouncing Balls Activity – Bouncing Balls Worksheet 6

Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ______________________

10. Which ball and surface from the experiment would be best for playing basketball? What
about for street hockey? Why?

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11. All of the sports associations have hired you to develop the next big sport. They want you, as
an engineer, to develop a sport that includes components of other sports. Describe your new
sport, including what type of ball and surface will be used and why. Remember to discuss
momentum and elasticity.
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Bouncing Balls Activity – Bouncing Balls Worksheet 7