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Science Launch G4 / Week 02 / Launch Lab
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Week 02 · Crash Test

Launch Lab

Launch Lab: Bounce test
// Where energy goes when things collide
⏱ about 15 min

Launch Lab: Bounce test

Rocket drops a rubber ball on the kitchen floor. Bonk! It bounces almost to his knees.

Then he drops it on a fluffy pillow. Fwump. It barely bounces at all.

Raven grabs a towel and a folded blanket. "Let's test more surfaces. What do you notice about the sound each time?"

Nova hovers at knee height, ready to measure. "My hint," she says, "drop it from the same height every time."

  1. When objects collide, energy can transfer from one to another.
  2. A collision changes how objects move.
  3. Some energy goes into the air as sound and heat.
  4. Faster objects can transfer more energy in a collision.
  5. Helmet foam crushes to soak up crash energy.
◇ BOUNCE TEST
Pick one ball and one height, like the top of a chair seat.
Drop the ball onto a hard floor, a towel, a pillow and a rug.
Each time, notice how high it bounces and how loud it sounds.
Rank the surfaces from best bounce to worst bounce.
Safety first
Drop the ball. Do not throw it.
Stand on the floor, not on the chair.
For a grown-up
Ask: What did you notice? What would you change?
Ask which surface soaked up the most energy, like helmet foam.
LAUNCH LAB CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
The ball barely bounces on a pillow and makes almost no sound. What does that tell you?
Why drop the ball from the same height every time?
In a collision, energy can ____ to another object.
Energy is never created or ____.
Which surface in your test acted most like helmet foam?
WHY THIS EXERCISESoft surfaces soak up energy, just like helmet foam.

Week 2 is done! Next week we follow energy as it travels through sound, light, heat and wires.

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