The Relationship Between Pressure and the Bounce Height of a Basketball

Voiceover

Presenter(s)(s)

Holden Demain

Abstract or Description

The relationship between science and sports is an important one. Basketball is a popular sport and many athletes would value knowing the optimal bounce height for a ball. The impetus of this investigation was determining the relationship between pressure and the bounce height of a ball. An NBA regulation basketball must be inflated between 7.5 and 8.5 PSI (pounds per square inch). This investigation tested every PSI level from 1-15 five times. The bounce height of each level was then measured. An NBA regulation ball dropped from 246 centimeters bounced an average of 137 centimeters. The results of the experiment showed that the bounce height leveled out as the PSI increased. On a graph, the curve flattened until it stayed completely static with the change from 14-15 PSI. The results prove gravity’s effect on bounce. The ball couldn’t bounce back to where it was dropped from because gravity reduces its reaction. The investigation would be valuable when one is preparing for a sports event.