The Effect of the Height Which a Basketball is Dropped on the Loss of Air Pressure and the Amount of Energy Transferred to Thermal Energy

The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the height at which a ball is dropped has a significant effect on the rate at which a basketball loses air, and the proportion of energy transferred to thermal energy. The researchers bounced a basketball one thousand times at three different heights, keeping the amount of bounces the same, but changing the height at which the balls were bounced to determine if it had a significant effect on the loss of air pressure. The proportion of energy that was transferred to thermal energy was calculated by first calculating the gravitational potential energy at its initial drop height, then calculating the gravitational potential energy at its return bounce height. The difference between the initial drop height and the the return height gravitational potential energies would be the energy transferred to sound energy and thermal energy. A microphone device was used to measure the sound pressure of its bounce, and from that the energy transferred to sound was calculated. The difference between the two gravitational potential energy values minus the sound energy would result in the energy transferred to thermal energy.

The ball does not return to its original height when bounced because of the transfer of energy. As expected, the majority of the energy transferred is due to the friction between the ball and the ground, heating the surfaces. The highest height produced the greatest amount of energy transferred to thermal energy. On the contrary, due to the supply of the basketballs, the air pressure trials yielded results of the two meter trial having the greatest difference in air pressure.

Research Conducted By:

Kyle Kue
Cousino High School

Junior Vang
Center Line High School  

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