Two Ball Bounce

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This is a quick, yet dramatic activity/demonstration that introduces learners to the concept of energy transfer. A small ball is placed on top of a large ball and both are dropped together. The large ball will hit the ground first, rebound and collide with the small ball. Energy is transferred to the small ball, which ends up bouncing very high! Learners can then explore what happens when they place the small ball on the bottom. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
Under 5 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
free per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 6 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Demonstration
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Two balls, one large and one small
  • Room with a high ceiling

Keywords

Subjects

  • Physical Sciences
    • Energy
      • Potential and Kinetic Energy
    • Motion and Forces
      • Newton's Laws
    • Structure and Properties of Matter
      • Mass and Weight
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

Informal Categories

  • Physical Activity
  • Toys

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Little Shop of Physics, 2009