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The Bouncing Ball Energy Test — Reading Comprehension

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The Bouncing Ball Energy Test reading passage is a comprehensive resource designed to teach fourth-grade students about the fundamental scientific principles of energy transfer and conservation. It directly aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Concept PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer. The passage explains

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The Bouncing Ball Energy Test

Balls bounce because of energy. When you hold a ball up high, it has potential energy. This means the ball is storing energy because it is above the ground. When you let go, the ball falls. Now, the stored energy turns into kinetic energy—the energy of moving things.

When the ball hits the ground, something interesting happens. The ball squishes for a moment. The energy from moving becomes elastic potential energy. This is energy stored when something is squeezed or stretched, like a rubber band. The ball then springs back to its shape and bounces up. As it rises, that elastic energy turns back into kinetic energy, and then into potential energy as the ball reaches its highest point.

Balls never bounce back to the exact height they were dropped from. Some energy is always lost. But 'lost' energy isn’t gone—it just changes form. When the ball hits the ground, some energy turns into heat and sound. That’s why you hear a bounce!

Scientists test bounciness by dropping different balls (like tennis balls, basketballs, golf balls, and super balls) onto different surfaces (like concrete, grass, or carpet). They measure how high the ball bounces compared to how high it was dropped. The bounciness is the ratio of bounce height to drop height. For example, if a ball is dropped from 100 cm and bounces back to 60 cm, its bounciness is 60%.

People use this science in real life. Sports balls are designed to bounce in special ways. Engineers use these ideas for things like car shock absorbers and running shoes with bouncy soles. In every bounce, the ball pays a little energy 'tax' to the floor in the form of heat and sound, so it doesn’t bounce as high each time.

Interesting Fact: If you try different balls and surfaces, you might find a super ball on concrete gives the best bounce!

What is potential energy?

Stored energy due to positionEnergy from heatEnergy from foodEnergy from electricity

Which energy is moving energy?

Kinetic energyPotential energyElastic energySound energy

What happens when a ball hits the ground?

It squishes and stores elastic energyIt floatsIt meltsIt grows

Why do balls not bounce as high each time?

Some energy is lost to heat and soundThe ball gets heavierThe ball changes colorIt rains

Which ball-surface combo gives the best bounce?

Super ball on concreteTennis ball on grassGolf ball on carpetBasketball on sand

What is bounciness?