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The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Drop it! Kinetic and Potential Energy

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Drop It! Potential and Kinetic Energy

A 7th Grade STEM Lesson

Nina Hipps

February 2024

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Notes for Teachers

  • You will need a variety of balls.

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  • Students will need cell phones to video in slow motion.

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  • Lesson notes, written work can be done before or after the lab depending if you want to front-load some concepts or build as students do the lab.

List of Materials

  • various balls: golf, practice (soft) golf balls, ping pong balls, small whiffle balls, tennis balls, other kinds of plastic or rubber balls that you can bounce in a classroom
  • data sheets
  • meter sticks
  • cell phones to record rebound
  • calculators
  • access to laptop

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AZ Science Standard

Physical Science:

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7.P3U1.3 Carry out investigation that can support evidence-based explanation of how objects on earth are affected by gravitational forces.

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AZ Math Standard

7.SP.B.3 …draw informal comparative inferences about 2 populations (events, in this case)

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Objective(s):

Students will investigate how gravitational potential energy changes with the mass of an object and how the initial drop height affects the rebound energy.

Students will calculate, graph, and compare rebound energy of different balls.

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

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Have you ever wondered what happens to a golf ball when you hit it?

Slow Motion Golf Ball

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Agenda: 5 x 50 minute class periods

Day 1: probe

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Notes

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Notes continued

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Notes continued: Roller coaster energy and Newton’s Laws

Energy in a Roller Coaster Ride

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

  • Student groups of 4
  • Tape meter sticks to various places against walls–separate enough from other groups.
  • Students weigh each of 3 different kinds of balls (groups can have different balls–no need to be identical for groups). Record weight.
  • Using cell phone slow motion setting, drop ball from 100 cm. Record 1st rebound height in cm. 5 trials for each ball.
  • Repeat drop from 200 cm height. Record data.
  • Calculate average for each ball at both heights.

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Data Sheet

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Graphing data

Students hand draw graphs to represent:

  • 3 different kinds of balls (mass indicated)
  • 2 heights

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Comparisons:

Which ball had the highest mass? Highest rebound? What might you conclude about mass and GPE?

What was your prediction before you dropped the balls from 200 cm? Were you correct? If not, why not? What happened to the energy if the ball did not rebound 2x as the 100cm drop?

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Assessment

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Differentiation

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Forces and Motions

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https://apps.explorelearning.com/gizmos/gizmo-detail/405

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PBS - Kinetic Energy

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