Contents
Why do different balls bounce at different heights?
This is because the higher the starting height of the ball, the higher the ball’s potential energy. A lot of it goes back into the ball, giving it more force to pop back up into the air—so the higher the potential energy, the higher the kinetic energy, and the higher the kinetic energy, the higher the bounce!
How does mass affect bounce height?
If the mass of the ball increases than the height the ball bounces will increase because the more mass an object has the more energy that gets build up when the ball gets released and makes the ball go higher.
Do larger balls bounce higher than smaller balls?
The air friction is approximately proportional to the square of the radius at high speeds, and to the radius at low speeds. So for bigger balls the ratio of gravitational to frictional force goes up, compared to small balls. That would tend to make the large balls bounce higher.
Does size matter bounce height?
when the ball hits the ground and this percentage should remain constant. The size of the ball effects the height of the first bounce. In all three trials, we found that the larger ball bounced higher than the smaller one.
Why do balls not bounce on grass?
Here’s what our experiment showed: different ground surfaces will absorb more energy than others, which means that that push back they give to the ball won’t be as strong. A soft surface, like grass or carpet, absorbs more energy from the fall, so there’s less left to push the ball back up, and it bounces pretty badly.
Which surface is best to bounce a ball on?
The harder the court surface is the more energy a dropped ball retains and the higher it rebounds. A basketball bounces pretty well on hardwood, but even better on concrete. But, if the floor is too hard, it can lead to serious player injuries.
How are two balls of the same mass different?
There are two balls and the only difference between them is the mass. Both are dropped from the same height on to the floor (static object with infinite mass), would both balls bounce up to the same height, or would the heavier ball bounce higher as it enters the collision with more momentum?
How can you tell the difference between two bounces?
Hold a ball in each hand and decide which ball weighs more (has greater mass). It might not always be the biggest. Drop the lighter ball from about shoulder height and notice how high it bounces. Now support the same ball on top of the heavier one and hold them both out in front of you, with the lighter ball at about the same height as before.
Why does a heavy ball bounce higher than a light ball?
Both balls will fall at a similar speed, but because kinetic energy is proportional to the mass of the object, the heavy ball reaches Earth with more energy. It will not necessarily rebound higher, as it also needs more kinetic energy to reach a specific height again.
Why do two balls bounce in the same direction?
Conservation of momentum. At a simple level, momentum is the amount of motion in one direction. It’s related not just to the speed of an object but also to its mass. When the balls collide, momentum from each ball can be transferred to the other. The two balls have similar speeds but the lower one has greater mass.