Investigating Bouncing Ball: Height vs Time

[pkallberg21]

Homework Statement

Drop the ball you have been given and watch it bounce: once and rebound, twice and so on. What could we measure in this process? What variables could change? What would change? Now investigate anyone aspect of the bouncing of the ball.

This is my research question: How will the height affect the time between the first and second bounce of the ball?

I started by dropping a ball from a height of 1 meter. I then used a stopwatch to measure the time between the first and second bounce. I did this for each 10cm until I reached 0 cm.

Homework Equations

v=displacement/time
Ek= 1/2 mv2

The Attempt at a Solution

I have used the velocity formula above to get a velocity for each 10cm measured. As I am writing up my lab, I am having trouble getting thoughts down on paper, specifically the theory. Maybe someone could tell me if what I am doing seems correct from a physics point of view, so I am not totally off.

Thanks for any help!

 

[BigJDubs]

From a physics point of view, what you are doing is correct in that you are measuring the velocity of the ball at different heights to see how it affects the time between the first and second bounce. The equation you used, v = displacement/time, can be used to measure the velocity of the ball as it moves through space. Additionally, you can use the equation Ek = 1/2 mv2 to calculate the kinetic energy of the ball at each height. This will allow you to compare the energy of the ball at each height and see how it affects the time between the first and second bounce.