Rubber Band Lab
Cool Info
• Rubber, which derives from plants that grow best in an
equatorial climate, was first discovered by European explorers
in the Americas.
• The word rubber was born in 1770, when an English chemist
named Joseph Priestley discovered that hardened pieces of
rubber would rub out pencil marks.
• The first rubber band was developed in 1843, when an
Englishman named Thomas Hancock
1. Lab Title
2. Problem (question)
3. Hypothesis (what you think will happen, based on experience and research If…
then…)
4. Independent Variable (one thing you change)
5. Dependent Variable (what you measure)
6. Materials (shopping list)
7. Procedure (number each step)
8. Data (data table or chart and written observations and pictures)
9. Results – graph your data
10. Conclusion
– Explain how your hypothesis was supported/not supported by the data from
your experiment
– Identify any possible errors or factors that could have affected your
experiment
– Discuss what you might do differently next time, what other related
experiments you would want to do
Does the distance a rubber
band is stretched affect the
distance it flies when launched?
If I stretch a rubber band farther
each time I launch it, then the
rubber band will fly (the same,
farther, closer) each time because
____________________________
Independent (what was changed):
Distance the rubber band was stretched
Dependent (what was measured):
Distance the rubber band flew
 1 small rubber band
 1 small ruler (metric)
 1 meter stick
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Stretch your rubber band 1 cm past the length.
Holding your rubber band, release it (do not point
at anyone)
Measure the distance your rubber band traveled
in cm and record in the data table.
Repeat three more times at this distance.
Repeat this process but each time, stretch the
rubber band by 1 cm more than the
last time. For example, the second time
you would stretch the rubber band to 2
cm more than the length.
• Measure your rubber band in centimeter
– write the length on your paper
*Rubber band length = _____ cm
Total Distance Traveled in cm
Total stretch
Attempt #1
Attempt #2
Attempt #3
+1 cm
+2 cm
+3 cm
+4 cm
*Rubber band length = _____ cm
Average
Distance rubber band traveled in cm
Rubber Band Graph
140
120
100
80
Attempt 1
60
Attempt 2
Attempt 3
40
Average
20
0
1
2
3
Distance stretched (+)
4
1. Explain how your hypothesis was supported/not supported by
the data from your experiment.
2. Identify any possible errors or factors that could have affected
your experiment
3. What relationship occurred between the independent variable
& the dependent variable?
**Was it a Positive relationship (When one variable
increases the other variable increases.)
**Was it a Negative relationship (When one variable
decreases the other variable increases.)
• CHALLENGE QUESTION: Write a formula relating to the distance travelled
(D) to the amount of stretch (S)