Kinetic and Potential Energy Lab

Science/Ms.Baker

Name: _____________

Kinetic and Potential Energy Lab

• Purpose: To evaluate kinetic and potential changes in a bouncing tennis ball, golf ball, and ping pong ball. • Materials: Tennis, golf, & ping-pong balls, meter stick • Procedures: 1. Your partner holds a meter stick vertically while you drop a tennis ball from 30 cm. 2. Measure the height of the rebound. 3. Repeat this for 3 more trials and calculate the average.

• Data: Tennis

30 cm

50 cm

100 cm

Golf

30 cm

50 cm

100 cm

Ping Pong

1

1

1

2

2

2

3

3

3

4

4

4

Average

Average

Average

30 cm

50 cm

• Analysis: • What kind of energy does the ball have just before it is released? _______________________________________________ • What kind of energy does the ball have as it strikes the floor? __________________________________________________ • If 100% of the ball’s KE were converted into PE, how high would it bounce?___________________________________ • How did the type of ball used affect your results? Why? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

100 cm