How to teach algebra to the children (part 1)

In this experiment, you will investigate how the height from which a ball is dropped is related to the height it bounces.

Equipment : a meterstick and a ball that bounces.

Directions :
1. Make a table with columns for recording drop height and bounce height.
2. Hold the meterstick perpendicular to a flat surface, such as an uncarpeted floor, table, or a desk.
3. Choose and record a height on the meterstick as the height from which you will drop the ball. Hold the ball at this height.
4. Drop the ball, and record the height of the first bounce. (You may have to do this several times before you feel confident you can make a good estimate of the bounce height).
5. Repeat this for several different drop heights.

Questions :
Before answering the questions, you have to make a coordinate graph of data you collected.
1. What variables did you investigate in this experiment? Describe the relationship between the variables.
2. Predict the bounce height for a drop height of 2 meters. Explain how you made your prediction.
3. Predict the drop height needed for a bounce height of 2 meters. Explain how you made your prediction.
4. What bounce height would you expect for a drop height of 0 (zero) centimeters? Where would this be on the graph?
5. Could you make an equation that related between drop height (x) and bounce height (y), which is the equation would be y = mx + c ? Where : m is the slope or gradient and c is constant or y-intercept on the graph.