Bouncing Balls

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When baseball was in its infancy, the ball had plenty of bounce. Today's baseball may not seem to have bounce to it at all; if you drop a ball on the field it won't bounce back. This activity will give you an idea of just how bouncy a baseball is. In the process, you'll learn about kinetic energy and explore how temperature effects "bounciness".

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Game
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • two baseballs and/or golf balls
  • a freezer

Keywords

Subjects

  • Physical Sciences
    • Energy
      • Potential and Kinetic Energy
    • Motion and Forces
      • Gravity

Informal Categories

  • Physical Activity
  • Sports and Exercise

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • be mobile
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Links STEM to other topics of interest such as arts and humanities
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Doherty, Paul

Rights: