The Effects Of Different Compositions And Properties On The Rebound Height Of Golf Balls
Our purpose was to determine the effects of different compositions and properties on the rebound height of various golf balls. We created a height board on a 3-meter tall stairway to accurately record and measure our trials using the video recording equipment provided by the MMSTC. We then ran our 2 trial sessions, dropping each of the eight golf balls listed above once per session for a total of 16 trials altogether. We also included a standard ball to be used for comparison in the analysis portion of our paper. For every trial we used the top of the level stairway as a point of reference for the initial drop height. After each session, we measured our raw data using the MMSTC's video editing equipment. For each of the 16 trials, we measured the resulting rebound height by moving frame-by-frame through the video-footage using the bottom of the golf ball as a reference point for measurement. To begin our analysis, we used a table of derived percentages from our raw data to accurately calculate the effects of each single factor and two-factor interaction. After calculating the effects of each interaction, we proceeded to compose our regular predictor equation to check to see if our data fit a predictable curve. We found that our regular predictor equation did not fit our data very well. This was because of many insignificant factors that needed to be taken out of the equation. Our parsimonious predictor equation fit one set of our data, but our data was still not predictable. We conjectured some possibilities for error as session temperature difference or differences in actual ball characteristics.
Research Done By:
Kevin Irrer
Warren Mott High School
Steven Zellers
Sterling Heights High School
Warren Consolidated Schools