NAME PERIOD DATE

INVESTIGATING A BOUNCING BALL

Objectives
• Learn how to use a force platform to measure the force on a bouncing ball.
• Use impulse to compare a ball that bounces, to one that doesn't.
• Create a mathematical model of a bouncing ball that predicts future bounce behavior.

Materials and Equipment

Safety
Follow regular laboratory safety precautions.

Procedure
1. Make sure the four feet on the bottom of the force platform are adjusted to their maximum
height and place the platform on a table. Check to see that it lays flat and level. Shorten any feet
necessary to level it and remove any wobbling.

2. Connect the force platform to your data collection system. Change the data sample rate to 50 Hz,
and create a digits display of normal force. Use the tools of the data collection system to show the
mean value of the normal force in the digits display.

3. Zero the force platform using the tools in your data collection system. Place the racquetball in
the center of the force platform and start data collection. Avoid touching the table while
recording data because vibrations can affect the force platform measurements. The force
platform measures the normal force, 𝐹𝑁 on the racquetball. Record your result below.

𝐹𝑁 = ________ N

4. If the ball is not accelerating, how will 𝐹𝑁 compare to the force of gravity, 𝐹𝑔 of the Earth on the
ball? 𝐹𝑔 is often called the weight of the ball where 𝐹𝑔 = 𝑚𝑔. Calculate the mass, 𝑚 of the ball.
Show your work below.

𝑚 = ________ kg

5. Obtain a piece of clay and use the display of the mean normal force to adjust its size until it has
about the same weight as the racquetball. Roll it into a ball and set it aside for later.

6. The ball will be dropped from a height of 0.5 m onto the center of the force platform. Predict how
the maximum force measured by the force platform will compare to the weight of the ball. Will it
be greater, less, or equal? If not equal, predict how many times greater or less it will be.

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 INVESTIGATING A BOUNCING BALL

7. Create a graph display of the normal force and change the data collection rate to 2 kHz. Hold the
ball 0.5 m above the center of the force platform. Start data collection and drop the ball. Catch it
before it bounces a second time on the force platform. Try again if it doesn't land near the center.
Because of the high data collection rate (2 kHz), the force from the ball's impact may not show
immediately on the graph. Stop data collection only after it shows on the graph.

8. Use the tools of the data collection system to measure the maximum normal force of the force
platform on the ball and record it below. Was your prediction correct? Explain why or why not
below.

Fmax = _________ N

9. The area under the curve of a net force versus time graph is known as the impulse 𝐽 and is equal
to the change in momentum of the object. The net force on the ball is 𝐹𝑁 − 𝐹𝑔 . Because 𝐹𝑔 is small
compared to 𝐹𝑁 , it can be ignored in this experiment. Which object will have the greater impulse,
the racquetball or the clay ball when dropped from 0.5 m? Explain your prediction below.

10. Hold the clay ball 0.5 m above the center of the force platform. Start data collection and drop the
clay. Try again if it doesn't land near the center. Use the tools of the data collection system to
measure the impulse of the clay ball drop and the racquetball drop and record them below. It
helps to zoom in on the part of each graph showing only the first peak. The impulse from each
ball is the area under the first peak from the time the force first rises to when it first goes back
below zero.

𝐽𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑡 = _________ N.s 𝐽𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑦 = _________ N.s

11. Compare the two impulse measurements. Was your prediction correct? Explain why or why not
below. Hint: The impulse is equal to the change in momentum of each ball. They both have the
same mass, what was different about their impacts?

12. The racquetball will be dropped from a height of 0.25 m and allowed to bounce many times until
it stops. Predict how the impulse will change after each successive bounce. Explain your
prediction below.

13. Start data collection and carefully drop the ball over the center of the force platform. Stop data
collection after the graph shows that it stopped bouncing. The ball should keep bouncing in the
center until it stops. If not, try a few more times. It helps to release the ball so that it is not
rotating. If it keeps bouncing away from the center, measure at least 10 bounces.

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 INVESTIGATING A BOUNCING BALL

14. Use the tools of the data collection system to measure the impulse of the first 2 bounces and
record them below. Were your predictions correct? Explain why or why not below.

𝐽1 = _________ N.s 𝐽2 = _________ N.s

15. The time the ball is in the air between bounces is called the hang time 𝑡ℎ . It can be measured
from the graph of force vs time. It starts when the force reading first drops below zero after a
bounce and ends when the force rises above zero before the next bounce. See Figure 1 for an
example of how to find 𝑡ℎ from the graph. Use the tools of the data collection system to measure
𝑡ℎ between the first and second bounce and record it below.

𝑡ℎ1 = __________ s

Figure 1

16. Knowing that the ball is in free fall during 𝑡ℎ , calculate the speed of the ball and its maximum
height after the first bounce. Show your work and results below.

17. Calculate the drop height of the ball using the speed after the first bounce, the impulse of the
first bounce, and the mass of the ball. How close is the calculation to the actual 0.25 m drop
height? Find the percent error. Show all your work below.

18. Measure 𝑡ℎ after the second bounce and use it to calculate the speed of the ball and its maximum
height after the second bounce. Show your work and results below.

𝑡ℎ2 = __________ s

19. The coefficient of restitution of the ball 𝑒 is the speed of the ball after a bounce divided by the
speed of the ball before a bounce. Assuming that the speed of the ball after the first bounce is the
𝑡
same as the speed of the ball before the second bounce, show that 𝑒 = 𝑡ℎ2 below. Calculate the
ℎ1
numerical value of 𝑒 for the racquetball.

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 INVESTIGATING A BOUNCING BALL

20. Assuming that 𝑒 does not change, use the value of 𝑒 from above to predict the speed of the ball
and its maximum height after the tenth bounce. You do not need to solve for the speed after
every bounce to do this!

21. Measure 𝑡ℎ after the tenth bounce and use it to find the actual speed and maximum height. How
close was your prediction? Calculate the percent error for the speed. Show all your work below.

22. Use the value of 𝑒 to predict what number bounce will result in a speed less than half of the
speed just before the first bounce. Use any method you can develop to find this, but a quick way
involves using the log button on your calculator. Show your prediction below and show/explain
how you arrived at it.

23. Measure 𝑡ℎ after the bounce number predicted above and use it to find the actual speed and
record it below. Was this the first bounce with a speed less than half of the speed before the first
bounce? If yes, congratulations. If no, find the correct bounce number using the 𝑡ℎ values on your
graph.

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