Potential and kinetic energy free essay sample

How does the drop height (gravitational potential energy) of a ball affect the bounce height (kinetic energy) of the ball? Variables: Independent variable- drop height Dependent variable- bounce height Controlled variables (constants) type of ball, measurement(unit), place bounced, and the materials used for each experiment. Hypothesis: If the gravitational potential energy (drop height) of the ball is increased, then the kinetic energy (bounce height) will increase because the ball will pick up speed on its way down which will cause it to apply more force to the ground, making the ball bounce higher. Materials and Procedure: Ball(s), meter stick, balance and a flat surface. Procedure- 1. Tape the meter stick to the side of the table with the 0-cm end at the bottom and the 100-cm end at the top. Be sure that the meter stick is resting flat on the floor and is standing straight up. 2. Choose a ball type and record the ball type in the data table. We will write a custom essay sample on Potential and kinetic energy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 3. Use the triple beam balance to determine the mass of the ball and record the ball’s mass in the data table. 4. Calculate the gravitational potential energy (GPE) for the ball at each drop height. Record GPE in the data table. 5. For Trial 1, hold the ball at a height of 40 cm, drop the ball carefully and observe the bounce height. Record the bounce height in the data table. 6. Drop the ball four more times from 40 cm, recording the bounce height each time, for a total of five drops. 7. For Trial 2 repeat steps five and six but drop the ball at 50 cm. Record the bounce heights in the data table. 8. For Trial 3, drop the ball five times from 60 cm and record the 5 bounce heights in the data table. 9. For Trial 4, drop the ball five times from 70 cm and record the 5 bounce heights in the data table. 10. For Trial 5, drop the ball five times from 80 cm and record the 5 bounce heights in the data table. 11. For Trial 6, drop the ball five times from 90 cm and record the 5 bounce heights in the data table. 12. For Trial 7, drop the ball five times from 100 cm and record the 5 bounce heights in the data table. 13. Repeat the steps 2 through 12 for a different ball. 14. Calculate the average bounce height of the 5 drops for each drop height. Record the average bounce height in the data table. Calculate the average bounce height for all trials. 15. Plot the average bounce height on a line graph.  gy there is. For example this means that if the drop height of the ball is increased (gravitational potential energy) then the bounce will increased too(kinetic energy). So the answer to the problem is that if the drop height were to increase so would the bounce height and if the drop height decreased so would the bounce height. In this lab the potential and kinetic energies were inversely prop ortional. The Kinetic energy (bounce height) was affected by the drop height (potential energy). I know this because the higher the ball was dropped the bigger the bounce height. For example a Ping-Pong ball was dropped at 40 cm and bounce and average of 20. 4cm at 60cm though the ball bounced an average of 33 cm. In the law of conservation of energy, energy is not created or destroyed only converted or changed. This lab represents this because during the experiments the energy stays throughout. This means if looking at a graph you can see the potential energy stored up changing into kinetic energy. Also there were other energies produced. Energies like sound energy, you could have heard the ball bounce against the ground.