Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Im doing a science project and i want to make my topic about a basketball i havent really come up with a problem yet up to now i have this question. What is the maximum number of bounces between a basketball, a soccer ball, and a tennis ball? but im not sure if thats a good question so i need help to help me out with this topic or making it a better topic.

Your question, as stated currently, is a bit vague. What do you mean by "Maximum number of bounces between a basketball, a soccer ball, and a tennis ball?" Perhaps you could study how many times a basketball bounces when inflated to different pressures.

Also, the question is vague...but you could add factors such as: how high up you throw the ball, velocity coming down-determining bounces, ect. ect.

The material the balls are made of can have a drastic effect on the results. It may be best to simply stick to basketballs and see how the results change depending on the material, brand, etc.

One possible experiment would be to inflate the balls to their maximum capacity and take the mass, circumference, etc. Then, after bouncing the balls, say, 1000 times, take the mass, circumference, etc. again to see the changes, though they will most likely be very minor so you will have to be very precise. One possible problem with this is that the strength put behind the dribbling changes with each bounce--we're only human afterall . So, an alternative to dribbling would be to drop it from a set height 1000 or so times.

Obviously, doing an experiment like this would take up much time. If you don't have a lot of time to kill, I would recommend doing something else. Perhaps you can simply test how high each ball bounces from a set height, but in this case remember to use the same floor--compare bouncing a basketball on a marble tile floor as opposed to thick carpet.