Question

1. use another tooling and measure the thickness in three different places in the clay ball and write the results in the table (below t - t).
2. use a calculator to calculate the average thickness t - average, and write it in the table.
3. calculate the thickness change |t0 - t - average|, and write it in the table.
4. repeat steps 1 - 5, and write the results in the second row of the table. calculate the average thickness change for this height.
5. change the height to 20 cm above the surface and repeat steps 1 - 5. make sure not to mix up the results from the different heights.

data

height of can	t0	t1	t2	t3	t - average = (t1+t2+t3)÷3	thickness change =	t0 - t - average		average thickness change
	b	3 cm	2.5 cm	2.7 cm	2.4 cm	0.47 cm
h2 = 20 cm	a	3 cm	2.6 cm	2.1 cm	2.27 cm	0.7 cm	0.75 cm
	b	2.9 cm	1.9 cm	2.3 cm	2.1 cm	0.8 cm

making sense

1. what are the advantages of calculating an average value when doing an experiment? explain:
2. from which dropping height was the average thickness changed the most?
3. what can you conclude about the relationship between height and energy?
4. your group used an object with fixed mass. how will the results be different for an object with a different mass?
5. in activity 2.2 you found a relationship between speed and energy. what is the relationship between the speed of impact and the dropping height?

Explanation:

1. Calculating an average value in an experiment reduces random errors. Multiple measurements are combined, giving a more representative result of the true value.
2. By comparing the absolute - value differences in average thickness changes at different heights, we can see that the change is more significant at 20 cm as the object gains more speed and energy from the greater height, causing a larger deformation in the clay.
3. The higher the height from which an object is dropped, the more gravitational potential energy it has initially. As it falls, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. So, there is a direct relationship between height and energy.
4. An object with a different mass will have a different amount of gravitational potential energy at the same height (since $PE = mgh$). A heavier object will have more energy and will cause a greater deformation in the clay, resulting in a larger average thickness change.
5. The speed of impact is related to the dropping height through the conservation of energy. As the dropping height increases, the object has more time to accelerate under gravity, and its speed of impact with the clay increases. There is a direct relationship between the speed of impact and the dropping height.

Answer:

1. It reduces random errors and gives a more representative result.
2. 20 cm.
3. There is a direct relationship; higher height means more energy.
4. A heavier object will cause a larger average thickness change due to more energy.
5. There is a direct relationship; higher dropping height means higher speed of impact.