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Coefficient of Restitution Lab Report

The lab aims to determine the coefficient of restitution (CoR) of a bouncy ball by comparing rebound heights to drop heights. The average CoR calculated from the trials is approximately 0.746, and the relationship between drop height and rebound height is illustrated through a graph. A CoR greater than 1 is deemed impossible without external energy, indicating a measurement error.

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47 views4 pages

Coefficient of Restitution Lab Report

The lab aims to determine the coefficient of restitution (CoR) of a bouncy ball by comparing rebound heights to drop heights. The average CoR calculated from the trials is approximately 0.746, and the relationship between drop height and rebound height is illustrated through a graph. A CoR greater than 1 is deemed impossible without external energy, indicating a measurement error.

Uploaded by

satvikpanduga09
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Coefficient of restitution lab

Satvik Panduga A4

The purpose for this lab is to determine the coefficient of restitution of a bouncy ball, the
coefficient of restitution means how well an object bounces by comparing rebound
height to the initial drop height.

Data table-

drop height rebound height rebound height rebound height average


(cm) trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 rebound height

10 5 6 5 5.33

20 11 11 11 11

30 16 17 16 16.33

40 22 22 22 22

50 28 28 27 27.67

60 33 34 33 33.33

70 39 39 39 39

80 45 44 45 44.67

90 50 51 50 50.33

100 56 56 56 56

110 62 61 62 62.67

120 67 67 68 67.33

130 73 72 72 72.67

140 79 79 78 78.67

150 84 84 85 84.33

160 90 90 89 89.67
170 96 95 96 95.67

180 101 101 101 101

190 107 106 107 106.67

200 112 112 113 112.33

The graph below illustrates the connection between rebound height and drop height.
You will plot the average rebound height on the y-axis and the drop height on the x-axis.
Plot a best-fit line through the data points. The slope and general trend of the line will be
utilized to compute the coefficient of restitution (CoR).

Calculation of Coefficient of Restitution (CoR):


Using the formula:

The calculated CoR values for each height are:

The average CoR across all trials is approximately 0.746.

Derivation of Coefficient of Restitution Equation:

The Coefficient of Restitution (CoR) may be defined as the ratio of velocities before and
after impact:

ε=vf/vo

Using the Conservation of Energy principle, we know that the potential energy of an
object is converted into kinetic energy before impact:

mghf=1/2mv^2f

Similarly, for the rebound:

mghf=1/2mv^2o

Solving for velocity in both the above equations:

vo​=√2gho​​,vf​=√2ghf​​

Substituting these into the CoR definition:

ε=vf/vo=√2ghf/√​​2gho​​=√hf/ho

This derivation shows how the second equation for CoR is derived from the first using
energy conservation.
Response to a CoR greater than 1:

A CoR greater than 1 (i.e., 1.3) means that the ball is rebounding to a height higher than
its initial fall height. This would mean that the ball is gaining energy on its rebound,
breaking the Law of Conservation of Energy (since no external energy is being
supplied). This is physically impossible unless an external force or source of energy.

I would let my friend know that they have made a measurement or calculation mistake
because it is not possible in the normal scenario to have a CoR of over 1.

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