Project Report Format



SAMPLE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT REPORT

THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON THE REBOUND HEIGHT OF A RACQUETBALL

Fenris Martin

Period 2

Dr. Martin

11/26/2017

SAMPLE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT REPORT

Background Information: The purpose of this experimental investigation is to study the effect of changing the temperature of a racquetball on the rebound height of the racquetball when dropped from a height of two (2) meters. Dr. S. Agee stated in her article “Under Pressure: Ball Bouncing Dynamics”, “Bouncing is what makes playing with a ball so much fun. But what makes a ball bounce? If you were to see a ball drop to the ground in slow motion, you would see its shape change dramatically. When it hits the ground, the bottom of the ball becomes flat against the floor. Then when it bounces up, it returns to its original shape. The changes in shape are due to a balance of forces and energy.” Dr. Agee quotes Dr. P. Doherty explaining this balance of forces and energy. Dr. Doherty explains that “When you drop a ball, gravity pulls it toward the floor. The ball gains energy of motion, known as kinetic energy. When the ball hits the floor and stops, that energy has to go somewhere. The energy goes into deforming the ball-- from its original round shape to a squashed shape. When the ball deforms, its molecules are stretched apart in some places and squeezed together in others. As they are pushed about, the molecules in the ball collide with and rub across each other" (Doherty, P., 2017). According to Dr. Doherty, cold racquetballs would “not bounce as high as warm ones because cold rubber is generally not as flexible as warm rubber. When a cold ball hits the floor, the deformation that follows the collision is concentrated at the bottom of the ball. This concentrated deformation causes the rubber molecules to collide with each other, producing warmth rather than rebound” (Doherty, P., 2017).

Experimental Question: How does temperature affect the rebound height of a racquetball?

Identify the Independent Variable, Dependent Variable, Constants, and the Control Group:

The independent variable: Temperature

The dependent variable: Rebound height of a racquetball

The control variables: Same racquetball (from a sealed can with a pressure of 14.7 PSI), drop height of 2 meters, ball dropped by same person, same meter sticks, same location, all 3 trials done consecutively on same day

The control group: Room temperature racquetball

Hypothesis: If the temperature of a racquetball is changed, then it will bounce to a different height because according to my research, P. Hutchinson states that as temperature changes the air pressure inside the ball changes causing the ball to bounce to a different height (Hutchinson, P., 2017).

Experimental Process

Materials:

1 racquetball

2 meter sticks

1 roll of clear tape

3-step step stool

Pencil

Data table

Thermometer

freezer

3-L tap water

Large cooking pot

Stove for heating water

*2nd person to drop the ball (called person 2 in the procedure)

Procedure:

1) Tape the 2 meter sticks together (the 100 cm end of the 1st stick to the 0 cm end of the 2nd stick).

2) Tape the 2 meter sticks on your refrigerator so that the 0 cm mark on the bottom meter stick is flush with the floor.

3) Use your thermometer to make certain your room is at 20°C.

4) Take a fresh racquetball right out of the can that has been in the room for at least 20 minutes. Have person 2 stand on the step stool so that they can easily drop the racquetball from the 100 cm mark on the top meter stick.

5) Have the person drop the racquetball and you will observe how high it rebounds (bounces). Record this on your data table for the Control Group (trial 1).

6) Repeat steps 3 and 4. Record this on your data table for the Control Group (trial 2).

7) Repeat steps 3 and 4. Record this on your data table for the Control Group (trial 3).

8) Place 3 liters of tap water in a large cooking pot. Hold the thermometer in the water while heating the water. Heat the water until the temperature is 25°C. You must keep the water at 25°C for the next 3 trials.

9) Have person 2 place the racquetball in the warm water. Keep it in the water for 20 minutes.

10) Quickly remove the racquetball and drop it from the 2 meter height. Record the rebound height on your data table for Experimental Group 1 (trial 1).

11) Repeat steps 8 – 10. Record this on your data table for the Control Group (trial 2).

12) Repeat steps 8 – 10. Record this on your data table for the Control Group (trial 3).

13) Place the thermometer in your freezer to make certain the temperature is -18°C.

14) Place the racquetball in the freezer for 20 minutes.

15) Quickly remove the racquetball and drop it from the 2 meter height. Record the rebound height on your data table for Experimental Group 2 (trial 1).

16) Repeat steps 15 - 16. Record this on your data table for the Control Group (trial 2).

17) Repeat steps 15 - 16. Record this on your data table for the Control Group (trial 3).

18) Clean up.

Observations

|Group |Trial 1 |Trial 2 |Trial 3 |Average |

| |Height of Bounce (cm) |Height of Bounce (cm) |Height of Bounce (cm) |Height of Bounce (cm) |

|Control Group (room |140 |138 |143 |140.33 |

|temperature 20°C) | | | | |

|Experimental Group 1 (temperature 25°C) |145 |148 |144 |145.66 |

|Experimental Group 2 (temperature -18°C) |104 |110 |107 |107.00 |

*20°C = 68°F; 25°C = 77°F; -18°C = 0.4°F

[pic]

Trial Trial Trial Trial Average

Analysis:

The data showed definite trends upon warming the racquetball and cooling the racquetball.

The warmer racquetball’s rebound height increased an average of 5.33 cm.

The colder racquetball’s rebound height decreased an average of 32.67 cm.

Conclusion:

The results supported my hypothesis. Temperature changes did in fact cause changes in rebound height. Increasing temperature increases rebound height and decreasing temperature decreases rebound height.

Bibliography

Agee, S. (2017, July 28). Under Pressure: Ball Bouncing Dynamics. Retrieved November 26, 2017 from .

Doherty, P. (2017, November 26). That’s the Way the Ball Bounces. Retrieved November 26, 2017 from .

Hutchinson, P. (2017, September 11). “Does Air Pressure Affect the Bounce of a Basketball?” Retrieved November 26, 2017 from .

|Criteria |3 |2 |1 |Rating |

|Author Identification. |The author's name is easy to find and it|The author’s name can be found, but|The author is unknown, or does not|  |

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| |authority (expert) on the subject. Holds|on the subject. Holds at least a |matter of your topic. | |

| |a PhD in the subject matter of your |Bachelor’s degree in the subject |AUTOMATIC NOT CREDIBLE! | |

| |topic. |matter of your topic. | | |

|Sponsoring organization. |A well-known respectable organization is|A sponsoring organization can be |No sponsoring organization can be |  |

| |clearly identified as a sponsor of the |identified, but its reputation in |identified. | |

| |site. Universities, Government Agencies,|relation to the topic is |AUTOMATIC NOT CREDIBLE! | |

| |and Science Journals are considered |questionable. | | |

| |respectable. | | | |

|Last updated |Current Event: updated within the last |Current Event: updated one to six |No date is shown or information is|  |

| |month. |months ago. |outdated. | |

| |Historical Topic: updated within the |Historical Topic: updated one to |AUTOMATIC NOT CREDIBLE! | |

| |last year. |two years ago. | | |

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No Author, No Date, No Sponsoring Organization is an automatic NOT CREDIBLE!

A score of 16 – 21 is an indication of a credible resource.

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From left to right for each trial:

The 1st bar is the Control Group.

The 2nd bar is Experimental Group 1.

The 3rd bar is Experimental Group 2.

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