Dropper Popper

(32 reviews)

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1 Dropper Popper and 2 Ping Pong Balls
Item #: POP-107
$3.45

7 points (Points accrued: 0)

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Dropper Popper
Item #: POP-100
$2.75

6 points (Points accrued: 0)

each
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2 Dropper Poppers and 10 Ping Pong Balls
Item #: POP-112
$7.75

16 points (Points accrued: 0)

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20 Dropper Poppers and 40 Ping Pong Balls
Item #: POP-124
$54.95

110 points (Points accrued: 0)

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Seemingly defies the laws of physics by bouncing higher than where it was dropped!

Description

A Dropper Popper is more than just half of a rubber ball. This incredible device seemingly defies the laws of physics by bouncing higher than where you dropped it! Requires a small amount of "activation energy" to work. It is molded into a very special shape that allows it to store elastic potential energy and then convert it to kinetic energy with a POP when dropped from a low height. An engaging activity for any physics or chemistry class! 5.7 cm (2.25") diameter.

Try This:
Have your students experience the difference between gravitational and elastic potential energy. Invert a Dropper Popper, place a ping pong ball inside the cavity, and drop the Popper onto a hard surface with the ping pong ball on top... Be sure to wear goggles and have a high ceiling, or better yet, no ceiling at all! Estimate how high the ball travels. Change the height of the drop and determine if the height the ping pong ball travels is based more on gravitational or elastic potential energy.

Note: Please store your poppers in a cool, dry place in their original (non-activated) shape. If stored in activation mode, the rubber will stretch and the popper's effectiveness will be reduced.

Video

Lesson Ideas

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Reviews

32 reviews

I'm Disappointed

Jul 11, 2023

The Dropper Poppers I purchased do not work. I tried massaging them as recommended by the customer service department. After 10 minutes of working on them, they do not work.

Bob Freytag

Owner Response: Our apologies! Someone from our customer service department will be reaching out to make this right!

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Works!

Jul 17, 2022

These do work! (I saw some reviews that said they didn't) These probably work better for older kids, as they have to land the right way in order to work. This might be more of a challenge for younger kiddos. I personally prefer the reaction rockets, but I'm glad I have both.

Jennifer Owen

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LOVE THESE!

May 23, 2022

I have used these for years with my students in 4th grade, and they love them. It's a terrific way to get kids to see potential kinetic energy transfer and make connections to other types of energy transfers. These have been a staple for years (apparently so popular someone stole my first set out of my teaching closet so I had to buy replacements!) They ask to play with them all the time!

SMiddleton

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Did Not Work

Jan 16, 2021

When I inverted the popper and drop it it did not op back just fell flat and did not bounce at all. I tried numerous times I got two and both did the same thing. Very disappointing.

Martin Crane

Owner Response: We are terribly sorry for your frustration! Someone from our Customer Service team will be reaching out to make this right for you.

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Did Not Work

Jan 9, 2021

I brought two popper and both did not work. I stretch them multiple time as suggested. When i dropped them they stayed flat and did not bounce or pop back into shape. I am very disappointed with this product

Martin Crane

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Very dissapointed

Apr 2, 2019

Some of them don't bounce back staying flat on the floor; others had broken after a couple of times used. Extremely disappointed

Daniela Cotirlan

Owner Response: We are terribly sorry for this product not meeting your expectations. Someone from our Customer Service Team will be in touch with you to send you a replacement or to refund your money.

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Great customer service

Jan 6, 2019

I ordered the dropper poppers and they were not working for some reason. Innovations sent me an entire replacement order at NO COST! Really fast, friendly service once again.

Sally

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Love These!

Oct 31, 2018

These are the best (and least expensive) activity to teach elastic potential energy and kinetic energy. My students thoroughly enjoyed these. One tip that's important to remember is that you need to store them in their original position. If you leave them inverted, it will stretch out the rubber and they won't work any more.

Butch

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Did not work

Aug 2, 2018

The first one would not pop up at all so they sent me another one. It literally worked once and then never again. Wish I had not bought this.

Erin

Owner Response: Sorry Erin, These poppers typically work really well. If you haven't already contacted customer service, please do and we will refund your purchase.

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Iselin

Jan 14, 2018

For the SAFETY of all those purchasing poppers, I feel it vital to have a WARNING printed on the bag they come in saying to use GOGGLES!

Kathie Iselin

Owner Response: Agreed! All outgoing poppers will have this warning. Though safe when used properly, if you position your head over the popper when it releases its energy, it can certainly do damage.

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Great!

Nov 27, 2016

I bought a lot of those and they all work fine. The kids love them and they are a great demonstration of potential/kinetic energy. Highly recommended!

Novella

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4th Grade Science

Aug 7, 2016

I look forward to using these to teach energy! Since I ordered them over the summer I "played" with them myself. They work just as shown and I know my 4th graders will love them!!

Sandra Craft

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dropper popper

Aug 4, 2015

worked well Ek and Ep

Sarah Rose

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Excellent!

Feb 20, 2015

Products as described and delivered super fast!

Colleen M White

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Teacher

Sep 23, 2014

I had bad luck with this one. One of the ping pong balls was dented significantly and the popper will not pop.

Kathryn

Owner Response: Hi Kathryn, We're sorry you're disappointed with your purchase. On rare occasions the ping pong balls can be damaged in transit. We'll send out a new one today. The poppers are made from thick rubber, and we have, at times, found that kneeding them(bending them in a variety of directions and squeezing) so they are more pliable, loosens them up. If that doesn't work, we are happy to replace or refund your order. Please contact our customer support for any additional help.

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Disappointed in Poppers

Sep 21, 2014

At first the poppers worked great for my student designed lab...then some of them stopped popping when we dropped them. Of course this throws off our data collection and frustrates the students.

Kat

Owner Response: That's rather unusual. We have heard that once in a rare while the Dropper Popper is too stiff to pop until it is kneeded and squeezed, but we've never heard of them working and then not working. Of course, we would be happy to exchange your poppers for you and we apologize for your experience. Someone from customer service will contact you immediately!

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6th Grade Science Teacher

Sep 2, 2014

Whether teaching general science or physics, these poppers are a great way to get students to understand the scientific method. Give the kids some parameters for an experiment and let them run with it.

Denika Gum

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Science Fair Administrator

Apr 7, 2014

I use the dropper popper kit in my high school science class. They are great to teach on kinetic vs potential energy. The only hiccup is that I ordered 2 kits for science prizes at our fair and the kits were combined in one zip lock bag without any notation on the shipping sheet or on the bag. I ended up thinking we were missing one kit and called after hours to let your company know. It was going to be too late to get it for the event, but I had determined I would just ship it to the student. One of our volunteers when setting up the awards table realized that they were put together. We separated them and all was well for the event. I made the mistake of not calling back and so the item missing was sent out. I offered to pay for it, due to my not calling back to let you know we did get what was ordered, just not packed correctly, which I was notified I was charged for it, but no total nor receipt was sent. Oddly only one popper was sent out, when I did clarify it was the entire kit I thought to be missing. It seemed to be back and forth miscommunication, which I have never experienced in the years I have been a customer. The big thing for me is that if a kit is ordered, it should be packaged as a kit, not combined with a second kit. Or at the least, a note should be included. I saw one bag. It was one kit. The packing ship even was missing the area that denoted what bin the kits are in, so that added to my thinking the order was incomplete. These were for other people and not me, so the idea of opening it never occurred to me. I imagine other people may order these for gifts also, so then the customer is left with having to find a bag that looks good and properly fits the kit. I could put the kits together myself. I wanted something that looked professional. Overall, I like your company and your items. Your customer service is gracious and helpful. This just seemed to be plagued with small but important issues that I hope will assist in another customer not having the same experience. Thank you.

Karen Garza

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3-6 Science Teacher

Feb 10, 2013

I used the dropper poppers in a physics lab that measured the stored (potential) energy in various balls and the dropper popper. One dropper popper never worked, but the other four were fantastic! Kids learned a lot about potential and kinetic energy!

Ron Howerton

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Fantastic!

Nov 12, 2012

Best way to teach potential energy! Inexpensive and motivational! The ping pong ball is a must!

Chavone

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Energy!

Oct 15, 2012

This is the best simple energy hands-on material made! Great way to explain gravitational and elastic potential energy! Don't forget the ping pong ball!

Carla

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Science Teacher

Oct 2, 2012

A really nice little device for demonstrating stored elastic potential energy transforming to kinetic energy. Better have a high ceiling!

H. Dixon

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Awesome Demo and Lab Activity

May 29, 2012

This is a great toy to show energy conservation and transformation. A student does work by pressing the popper, then adds rotational energy. The toy drops and converts potential into kinetic energy. And then pop!!!--it bounces HIGHER due to the stored elastic energy. Students can take rough measurements and estimate the amount of energy transferred!

Justin Son

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WOW

May 22, 2012

I had never seen these fascinating little items before I went to a conference this year. I won a set of the cups at the Educational Innovations workshop. My 10 yr. old daughter LOVES them and my 8th grade physical science love them as well! They are a great demonstration tool that I have used numerous times this year. the students often ask for me to let them "play" with them...little do they know they are learning at the same time!

Margaret Carter

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Great tools

May 17, 2012

These were great in class. I really appreciated the blog entry and video about them, on teachersource.com

Carnold

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Poppers are fun

May 16, 2012

The ping pong ball is an important part of this energy experiment. My students loved these little devices and it made our energy experiments much more engaging.

K Wedding

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Energy laws in action

May 16, 2012

The kids were mystified and love them. Then they were motivated to learn the science behind them.

Bonnie Yelverton

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Attention grabber

May 16, 2012

These are amazing when you use them with a ping pong ball. I like to keep tucked away until I need to get the classes attention and then drop it. What a eye opener and conversation starter.

Jeanette Emmerich

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Middle School/College Methods Teacher

May 3, 2012

Fantastic hands-on way to show potential and kinetic energy. The students love to make it all happen, and the ping pong ball is one of their favorite things to do. We use our tennis courts to keep everyone together and to allow them to do multiple tests. Safety glasses a must!!

Margaret Flack

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Great Product

May 1, 2012

These are great for teaching potential and kinetic energy!

Jason L.

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Lovely demo of stored energy

Apr 23, 2012

Simple yet effective. Asking the question, 'Where did the energy come from for it to jump?' nicely illustrates that stored energy is not always obvious.

bcolgate

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These are AWESOME

Apr 23, 2012

What a fabulous way to teach energy! The ping pong ball is a must! My students absolutely loved this activity. Be sure to have them wear their eye protection.

Barbara

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NGSS

This product will support your students' understanding of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)*, as shown in the table below.

Elementary

Middle School

High School

K-PS2-1

Students can use the Dropper Popper to plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.

4-PS3-4

Students can use the Dropper Popper to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

3-5-ETS1-3

Students can use the Dropper Popper to plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

MS-PS3-5

Students can use the Dropper Popper to construct, use and present arguments or experiments to support the claim that when the motion energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

MS-ETS1-4

Students can use the Dropper Popper to develop a model or experiment to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

HS-PS3-4

Students can use the Dropper Popper to design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.

Suggested Science Idea(s)

K-PS2-1
3-5-ETS1-3
4-PS3-4
MS-PS3-5
MS-ETS1-4
HS-PS3-4

Using a Dropper Popper in combination with a ping pong ball creates a dramatic demonstration of energy transfer—and much more.

All the NGSS standards are supported with this lesson idea.

* NGSS is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of, and do not endorse, this product.

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Dropper Popper

NGSS

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