INITIATE

& PLAN

Investigation Design and Perform

Step 1: Observing & Questioning
Place sticky notes of the same colour in the space below. Place sticky notes of a new colour in the space below.

WHAT DID I OBSERVE? WHAT AM I WONDERING?

(What do you notice about the object or event? (What questions or predictions do you have about
Use your senses to describe the object or event.) the object or event?)

The basketball the tennis ball Why did the What if we dropped
tennis ball bounce the balls from higher
bounced higher does not bounce so high when it up?
than the tennis as high as the was on top
ball (1st drop) basketball (1st drop) of the basketball?
What if we dropped
the balls on concrete
When the The tennis ball Why didn't the or a different surface?
basketball bounce
tennis ball is bounced off of
higher the second
dropped stacked the basketball What if we stacked
drop like the tennis
more than two balls
on top of the and went higher ball did?
and dropped them
basketball it than it did on its together?
bounced much own
higher
How can the questions be answered?
(Question Sort)

2nd Drop
LABELLED DIAGRAM:
1st Drop

1 meter
height tennis ball
drop bounces off
of basketball
up to the
ceiling

tile
floor
Balls dropped individually from same height, Tennis ball is stacked on top of basketball and they are dropped
together; orange arrow shows basketball's height and green arrow
arrows indicate height they each bounced
shows tennis ball's height

Level:  2
1 of 4 © Youth Science Canada 2011, Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted,
this work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Smarter Science and Éducasciences are registered trademarks of Youth Science Canada.
Adapted with permission from Thames Valley District School Board
 INITIATE
& PLAN

Experiment Design and Perform

Step 2(a): What could I measure or observe about the object, or event?
Brainstorm (Place sticky notes of the same colour in the space below.)

height the height the ball on height difference between

ball on top of the bottom of the the balls individually and
the stack bounces stack bounces when stacked

Possible Dependent
Potential Energy
momentum of the
of the balls in
Variables
velocity of the balls
balls
different set-ups

Step 2(b): What could I change or vary about the object or event that may
affect what I could measure or observe?
Brainstorm (Place sticky notes of a new colour in the space below.)

Height the balls are the surface the balls are dropped
dropped from at the onto (concrete, grass, etc)
start

force of the drop

How the balls are stacked (are the balls just let go or
How many balls (ex. different order, pushed with some force?)

Variables
are stacked for the something holding them
drop (2,3,4, more?) in place)

The 'base' conditions

(is there wind or
ball (ball on the temperature effecting
bottom) the balls?)

Level:  2
2 of 4 © Youth Science Canada 2011, Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted,
this work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Smarter Science and Éducasciences are registered trademarks of Youth Science Canada.
Adapted with permission from Thames Valley District School Board
 INITIATE
& PLAN

Experiment Design and Perform

Step 3(a): What will I change?
ONE VARIABLE I WILL CHANGE: I WILL MEASURE OR OBSERVE THIS RESULT:

How many balls The height of the

Independent
are stacked for Dependent ball on top of the
Variable
the drop
Variable stack

(Place a sticky note from Step 2(b) here) (Place a sticky note from Step 2(a) here)

Step 3(b): What will I not change?

VARIABLES I WILL NOT CHANGE:
What conditions will be held constant so it is a fair test? Place remaining sticky notes from Step 2(b) here.

Height the balls are the surface the balls How the balls are
Controlled
dropped from at the
start
Controlled
are dropped onto
(concrete, grass, etc)
Controlled
stacked (ex. different
order, something
Variable Variable Variable
holding them in place)

force of the drop conditions

(are the balls just let The 'base'
Controlled
go or pushed with Controlled
ball (ball on the Controlled
(is there wind or
temperature effecting
bottom)
Variable Variable Variable
some force?) the balls?)

Level:  2
3 of 4 © Youth Science Canada 2011, Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted,
this work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Smarter Science and Éducasciences are registered trademarks of Youth Science Canada.
Adapted with permission from Thames Valley District School Board
 INITIATE
& PLAN

Experiment Design and Perform

Step 4: What is the question I want to explore?

How many balls The height of the

IF I CHANGE
Independent
are stacked for WHAT WILL Dependent
ball on top of the
theVariable
drop HAPPEN TO Variable
stack

COMPARED TO THE CONTROL?

Step 5: What is my hypothesis (what and why)?

BASED UPON MY QUESTION, I PREDICT THAT:

if the amount of balls in the stack is increased

     Independent Variable         How the independent variable will be changed
(e.g. increased or decreased, heated or cooled, stirred or not stirred…)

then the height of the ball on top of the stack will increase.
     Dependent Variable         How the dependent variable will be affected
(e.g. increased or decreased, heated or cooled, stirred or not stirred…)

I think this will happen because when the balls hit the ground and compress, the elastic potential

energy from the ball on the bottom will be transferred up into the ball above it. This means that the ball

on
the top of the stack will be absorbing most of the potential energy from the balls beneath it and therefore

will be launched higher. Also, since the ball on the bottom is always the largest and has the most mass, it

has the most momentum in the drop that can be transferred into the smaller, lighter balls on top of it that

will aid in them being propelled higher.

Level:  2
4 of 4 © Youth Science Canada 2011, Some Rights Reserved. Except where otherwise noted,
this work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Smarter Science and Éducasciences are registered trademarks of Youth Science Canada.
Adapted with permission from Thames Valley District School Board