Ball

High school (ages 12+)
Sports & Games

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ball

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the earliest documented ballgame?Mesoamerican ballgame using solid rubber balls, dating back thousands of years
2. What is the key technological advancement?Vulcanized rubber in the 19th century enabled hollow, inflated balls
3. Why do balls bounce?Balls bounce because their round shape and the way they hit the ground use gravity and elasticity to send them back up.
4. How did people make balls before rubber?Before rubber, people made balls from natural materials like gourds, stones, or animal hides stuffed with soft stuff.

Magnus Effect: The force exerted on a spinning object moving through a fluid like air.
Elasticity: The ability of an object to return to its original shape after being deformed.
Aerodynamics: The study of how air interacts with moving objects, affecting their flight path.