Bouncy Ball Factory
Bouncy balls for fun, experimentation, and for the marketplace.Copyright 2005 高橋 宗史, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Bouncy_balls#/media/File:Colorful_Super_ball.jpg
Students become product engineers in a bouncy ball factory as they design and prototype a polymer bouncy ball that meets specific requirements: must be spherical in shape, cannot disintegrate when thrown on the ground, and, of course, must bounce. Along with these design elements, students can build (with teacher assistance) a “shadow box” that helps measure the contact angle of the polymer that provides data on how to iterate. In addition, students must consider the aesthetics of their bouncy balls for customer approval and marketing purposes. Using the engineering design process, students design and create bouncy balls from polymers to create a fun, exciting toy for children.