The Rubber Ball Project

Joe Cisneros
 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
Kindergarten Mathematics

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter111/ch111a.html
 The Problem

A rubber ball rebounds to half

the height it drops.
If the ball is dropped from a
rooftop 18 meters above the
ground, what is the total A. 31.5 m
B. 40.5 m
distance traveled by the time it C. 45 m
hits the ground the third time? D. 63 m
What could the answer be?

The ball is dropped 18 meters above ground

from the rooftop. So it travels 18 meters upon
release.

18 m
What could the answer be?

After hitting the ground, the ball then bounces

up half way. 18 m divided by 2 is 9 meters.
Bringing the total distance of the ball to 27
meters.
18 meters + 9 meters= 27 meters

9m
What could the answer be?

Gravity then brings the ball back down to the

ground which adds another 9 meters to the total
distance of 36 meters.

18 m + 9m = 27m + 9m = 36 meters

This distance also rules out choice A which was

31.5 meters.

9m
What could the answer be?

After hitting the ground, again. The ball then

bounces up half way from the 9 meter drop
adding 4.5 meters to the equation making the
total distance of travel 40.5 meters.

9 m / 2 = 4.5 meters
18 + 9 + 9 + 4.5 = 40.5 meters

Answer choice B is now ruled out, simply

because the ball still needs to reach the ground
one more time.

4.5 m
What could the answer be?

After hitting the ground for the final time. The

ball hits the ground and is finally at rest, it
traveled an additional 4.5 meters bringing the
total distance traveled to 45 meters.

18 + 9 + 9 + 4.5 + 4.5 = 45 meters

4.5 m
 Answer!

After hitting the ground for the last time. The ball hits the ground
and is finally at rest, the total distance traveled is 45 meters.

Summary:
 The ball fell from the rooftop at 18 meters.
 Came back half way at 9 meters.
 Traveled back to the ground another 9 meters.
 Bounced half way to 4.5 meters.
 And fell down again 4.5 meters.

18 + 9 + 9 + 4.5 + 4.5 = 45 meters

Answer choice C is the answer!

Answer choice D is then ruled out because the ball is no longer

traveling.