A new series of science lab manuals from Schottenbauer Publishing provides a plethora of data for science teachers and homeschoolers. Featuring data from over 40 individual balls, this growing lab series already contains 8 books with data on falling, bouncing, rolling, and projectile motion of popular sports balls and an assortment of other common balls.
Volumes 1 and 2 provide data from a motion sensor and force plate. Data in show the motions of popular sports balls, including 3 types of baseballs, a basketball, a dodge ball, 3 types of golf balls, a soccer ball, a tennis ball, a table tennis ball, and a volleyball, in addition to a toy ball and a plastic apple. Graphs include line graphs such as those shown below.
Volume 1 focuses on falling and bouncing, while Volume 2 focuses on rolling and colliding. Each book provides data on a variety of surfaces. Inflatable balls, such as the basketball, soccer ball, and volleyball, are tested at different inflation levels. For schools and families on a tight budget, an Economy Edition provides a subset of graphs from Volume 1, for a retail price of only $8.
Discussion Questions (Basketball):
1. Why is the basketball bouncing upwards?
2. Would the ball bounce higher if it were dropped onto a wood or concrete surface? Which surface would provide the highest rebound?
3. Would a higher inflation pressure result in a larger or smaller height of rebound?
4. Describe the path of the ball with an equation.
5. How much kinetic energy is absorbed in each bounce?
Discussion Questions (Toy Ball)
1. Why does the force vary on each impact?
2. Is the force of impact caused by gravity, the dribbling motion, or both?
3. Is it possible to determine the height from which the ball was dribbled? If so, what is it?
4. Does the graph demonstrate free rebounding?
5. What is the pattern of force used for dribbling the ball?
6. If dribbled with the same initial force, would a basketball rebound further from the force plate than this toy ball? If so, why?
Volumes 3 to 8 contain graphs of video analyses, as shown below. These graphs may be easier to analyze, as they provide less error than the motion detector and force plate from Volumes 1 and 2.
Volume 3 contains the same balls as Volumes 1 and 2, but this time, the focus is projectile motion. Volumes 4 through 6 repeat the alternating themes (falling/bouncing, rolling, and projectile motion), with a combination of old and new balls. A cricket ball, field hockey ball, 2 types of street hockey balls, lacrosse ball, racquetball, and softball are now added to the mix of data, as well as a new tennis ball.
Discussion Questions (Lacrosse Ball):
1. Write an equation to describe the motion of the ball in the graph.
2. Is the ball traveling in a straight line, or a curved path?
3. Does the graph show any effects of friction? If so, identify the coefficient of friction.
4. With the same initial force, what would roll further on carpet, a lacrosse ball or a tennis ball? Why?
Discussion Questions (Softball):
1. Is the ball moving vertically or horizontally?
2. Write an equation to describe the motion of the ball.
3. Name the forces on the ball. Is there any air resistance?
4. What would the trajectory look like if the ball were thrown with only a horizontal component to the initial velocity?
5. If thrown with the same force, would a baseball travel further than a softball? Why?
Volumes 7 and 8 contain specialty data, breaking with the pattern of the previous books. Volume 7 contains data exclusively on the football and rugby ball, combining data on falling, bouncing, rolling, and projectile motion with new types of data on spinning, rocking, and wobbling while rolling. Volume 8 contains data on a selection of specialty balls, including hard and soft clay balls, 4 hackeysacks, styrofoam balls, pom-poms, a kickball, an irregularly-shaped ball, and a Wiffle ball. Data include falling, rolling, and projectile motion. With these unusual balls, sometimes there is no bounce, and the role of air resistance begins to play an important role. Graphs include a comparison of objects falling at the same time. Purchasers of the book can learn which ball wins the race!
Lab manuals from Schottenbauer Publishing can supplement traditional curricula in math, physical science, physics, and physical education. They can also be integrated into summer camp and other summer academic enrichment activities, from approximately age 10 and onward. Ideas for lesson plans can be found in the blog Graphs in Education.
Graphs & Data for Science Lab: Multi-Volume Series
- Bounce, Roll, & Fly! The Science of Ball Sports
- The Science of Hockey (Field, Street, & Ice)
- The Science of Baseball
- Golf Science
Anthologies of 28 Graphs
- The Science of Ball Sports
- The Science of Summer Olympic Sports
- The World in a Graph
Books by M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D. are available in both English and German from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Powell's, and other internet retailers. Wholesale is available directly from CreateSpace online.
