How Does The Air Pressure Affect a Ball's Bounce?

How Does The Air Pressure Affect a Ball's Bounce?

Evaluation

I was able to control all the variables. I think that my theme was very controllable. I was able to see what I needed as I was experimenting my project. I think I have had enough info. being only a one person project. I feel my challenge was to get all the necessary data that I needed in order to do this science project by myself.

Experiment Ending

Conclusion

I have learned that not all balls bounce the same. The bouncing depends on the air pressure inside the ball and/or the material the ball is made of. With more air pressure inside doing it with two balls of the same size, the one having more air pressure inside will bounce at a taller height. On the other side, the less inflated ball will bounce more times but at a lower height. Different kinds of balls are made to do different kinds of things, depending on the height it needs to reach or the force it needs to be applied and speed it needs to reach. If the materials of the balls are different, the amount of air pressure can be different too because of the elasticity of its materials.

Background Information

Research Notes

The atmospheric pressure causes everything you see, to be pulled to the ground without glue or tape. Atmospheric pressure is what causes the balls to bounce. That’s why that every time you try to bounce a desinflated ball, it seems that it doesn’t bounce at all. But there is no material on earth that doesn’t bounce. If you let go off anything it would bounce at least 3 millimeters. I think that everything bounces because they can’t occupy the same space so when an object is falling, it goes so fast, that then the fall effect is reversed it becomes an upward effect. I also discovered that if you take a ball from a warm place to a cool place, it will lose air pressure. Binzen calculated that a five to ten percent dip in temperature could bring about a drop of 0.5 to 1.5 pounds per square in. in a ball pressure.

Summary

In my investigation I used four different balls that were named Ball 1, Ball 2, Ball 3, and Ball 4. They were two volleyballs and two rubber balls. I desinflated all of the balls, then using the ball pumper, I inflated the volleyball. I counted the bounces it made (more than ten bounces). So the less amount of air the ball has, it will bounce less. So, it’s very important that you put the correct amount of air in order for the bouncing to be good. Rubber balls are made to bounce a lot. Volleyballs are not made to bounce, but you can hit them as hard as you want and it wouldn’t hurt you. Football balls are made for kicking-not bouncing. Basket balls are made for bouncing. Dodgeball balls are especially made to throw them at people’s faces and bodies. They are spongy made. Baseball balls are made to shoot. Bowling balls are only made to roll. Never kick them, try to bounce them, hit them, but most important never ever ever drop them on top of your feet. They are made out of pure solid material. And it hurts.

Bibliography

These are some of the sources I used to find all my information:

http://howeverythingworks.bloomfieldweb.com/?p=1954

http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/bouncing_balls.html

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/wbarocx.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Deflate-a-Basketball

Data and Steps

Procedure

1. Get two “CHIBOLITA

VOLLEYBALLS” and two big

rubber Viniballs

2. Deflate every ball except for ball

#1

3. Slightly inflate ball #1

4. Get something to take notes with

5. Measure 55 in. of height

6. Mark the 55 in. point with anything

that can stick and unstick

properly

7. Get the ball you want to use and

drop it from 55 In.

8. Count the number of bounces it

does

9. Record the result in whatever

thing you chose to take notes on

10. Repeat steps 7-9 three more

times

11. Get the second ball and do the

same you did with the first one

12. Then do the same with the other

two balls

Data and Observations

Scientific Observations

Variables

Independent variable: Use the pressure Gauge carefully controlling the amount of air you are putting into a ball.

Dependent variable: The amount of air pressure in the balls.

Control variables: The surface, the room temperature, the height of where we are going to drop the ball from, etc.

Materials

1. 1 inflated Ball (volleyball) and 3 deflated balls

2. Get a meter stick to measure the height (55 in.)

3. Get something to take notes on

Hypothesis

I thought that the most inflated balls were the ones that would bounce the most. Because since the deflated balls have less air then it also has less height in their bounces. But on the other side, the most inflated ball has more air pressure inside, and that makes the ball heavier, so it gives the ball more power to bounce higher. Not every kind of ball will bounce the same. It will depend on the material the ball is made of and the amount of air pressure it has inside.