SS Component

Our Physics PBL is about the double ball bounce. For our Social Studies Connection, we will be explaining the prevalence of momentum, kinetic energy, and collisions throughout science. We will explain the history, important findings, and the people behind the double ball bounce experiment. On this page, we will post our S.S. component portraying how momentum, collisions, and energy were discovered, and how they influenced science.

History of the Concepts Behind "Double Ball Bounce"

The project, double ball bounce, focuses on the concepts of momentum, kinetic energy, and the use of rubber balls. The concept of momentum was discovered in A.D. 530 by a Byzantine philosopher working in Alexandria named John Philoponus. Philoponus explained his view of momentum in his commentary to "Aristotle’s Physics". He went against Aristotle`s claim that when a ball is thrown, the air's movement keeps the ball in the air. Philoponus suggested that there was force acting upon the ball as a result of throwing it. Philoponus’ idea and claim evolved over the centuries in what we now know as momentum. Since the Middle Ages, the mathematical definition of momentum has remained stable, but the physical interpretation of momentum has varied greatly.

Kinetic energy is energy of motion, so kinetic energy of an object is the energy it possesses because of its motion. When an object is in motion, it has kinetic energy. The word "kinetic" comes from the Greek word "kinesis" which means motion. In physics, it is the energy that every moving object possesses. The idea of kinetic energy in mechanics was first developed by Gottfried Leibniz and Johann Bernoulli, from the Netherlands. They thought of kinetic energy as the living force and did experiments to provide evidence of this. This project demonstrates how kinetic energy isn't lost during the elastic collision between two balls.

Stable rubber reached the Old World in the 19^th century, but ancient Mesoamericans had been using it in the late 15th and early 16th century in the West Indies and Central America. Rubber balls have been used by natives from that region, called the Olmecs since 1600 B.C. The Olmecs were known as the “rubber people’ and used rubber to play games. However, this diffused into the Mayan Society where rubber balls became an important aspect to their culture. The Mayans used the rubber ball and made it into a game for entertainment purposes and political and religious rituals. The discovery of Mesoamerican rubber has led to many important inventions, such as tires, shoes, and erasers.

These three concepts of momentum, kinetic energy, and the rubber ball have led to many technological innovations and have aided us in understanding physics and how the forces of the world act.

The rubber ball being used by the Olmecs for sporting purposes.

John Philoponus (490 A.D.- 570 A.D.)

Philoponus went against Aristotle's theory of momentum, and suggested that there was force acting upon the ball as a result of throwing it.

Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716)

Leibniz first developed the idea of kinetic energy and proved that kinetic energy was a living force.

Sources:

• • http://www.eschooltoday.com/energy/kinds-of-energy/what-is-kinetic-energy.html

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum

  • http://www.ancient.eu/article/604/

  • http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/ke.html

• Traditions and Encounters (A Global Perspective On The Past)

• Google Images