Marble Experiment

How High Can A Marble Bounce?

By: Tino, Maranita

What were the materials we used?

We used a metre ruler to measure how high the  marble bounced. The three of us were curious to see how high a marble could bounce on other substances. So what we did was, we tested out on other type of grounds like polished floor, smooth surface, books and concrete.

How did we do the experiments?

First of all we tested how high a thick and big marble could bounce so we had our one metre ruler and started from one hundred centimetres and dropped the marble down to the ground. We measured the bounce with the meter stick. After that we tested out the small marble the same way. Then we started out testing on another substance which was the polished ground. Once we finished experimenting on that, we went to try and see what results we could get on concrete. Then we wanted to see how high the marbles could bounce on different types of cover books.

What are your observations? What data have you collected?

We observed different results on different substances. The data were quite different and interesting. On the carpet for our first test for the big marble. Then when we did the second trial, it went a bit higher than the first. Finally, on the third trial, we saw that the marble bounced higher. Once we finished testing on the big marble, it was time to test the smaller marble. The smaller marble was the same except that on the third try, the result was lower than the rest. After testing our experiment on the carpet, we tried it on polished ground. This time, the big marble went lower then higher and then lower again. It was time to see how high a smaller marble could bounce on polished ground. We did three trials again and saw that the results were all different.

What are the results?

Carpet:

Big Marble:

1. 21cm
2. 29cm
3. 36cm

Small Marble:

1. 27cm
2. 28cm
3. 25cm

Concrete:

Big Marble:

1. 26cm
2. 29cm
3. 31cm

Small Marble:

1. 24cm
2. 28cm
3. 32cm

Soft Covered Book:

Big Marble:

1. 18cm
2. 19cm
3. 19cm

SHard Covered Book:

Big Marble:

1. 5cm
2. 5cm
3. 3cm

Small Marble:

1. 2cm
2. 7cm
3. 6cm

What can you conclude of what you’ve done?

We conclude that both marbles are the same because they are both solids. Once we tested both of them at the same time and same height, we discovered that no matter how big or small any marble may be, they will end up to have the same height rate. Both marbles are the same because they are both solids.

We think that our conclusion and statements are correct. We think that our results were a bit confusing but in the end it went better than we thought.  

Experiment done by: Maranita, Tino and Ariana