what factors affect the bounce of a ball?

Question

what factors affect the bounce of a ball? im going to be doing a science project on this and i will be using a basketball and a rubber ball. i need to know which one bounces higher and why. (both will be on the same kind of floor.)

Answer 1

Rubber balls have much more bounce in them due to the 'rubber' they are made from being simply bouncier, than your average air pressure ball.

The weight and shape of the ball - completely spherical or oblong such as a football.

The height, way (as in what some would call a girly throw ;) and force at which it is thrown, gravitation pull,

Pulled under water, an airtight ball would fly up into the air rapidly, but a rubber ball would go up slower., where as (goes without saying) if we threw one in the norm atmosphere, it would fall to the ground, eventually.



Where and what surface it is thrown on counts alot eg grass or cement... But either way the rubber still wins.

You wouldn't find golfers playing with rubber balls, lol!



There is only one type of basket ball and many types of rubber balls - smooth to spikey, and different shapes, which can give you the edge over your componant.



Rubber balls are heavier and spoungier too, so you get more bargain for your bounce ;-)



Have fun with your project!

Answer 2

A lot of things effect the bounce of a bouncy ball. The angle of the throw, the force of gravity, the angle of the surface it lands on, the velocity of the fall, the dissapation of energy when the ball compresses at the moment of impact (this also depends on what the ball is made of and how bouncy it is), The static friction when the ball lands at an angle, and what might be on the surface that the ball is landing on (like bumps or grooves or what the surface itself is made of) are all things that effect a balls bounce. As to a science fair project about this, I can't recommend any, but I do recommend you check out some physics sites and look up some of the terms that I mentioned that you do not understand. Also look for some visuals. On any good site they will have visuals to make the written explanation less complicated.

Answer 3

to ask your question more scientifically change the word bounce to the word "Velocity", or "change in velocity" after impact. we know what velocity is (speed that has direction) and we know what impact is (the event to where colliding bodies exert relatively strong forces on each other over a relatively short amount of time). now to answer your question you have to know there are three types of collisions:



1) elastic: for small bodies, like molecules. (snooker balls have a nearly elastic collision)

2) inelastic: for larger bodies. like rubber balls or basketballs

3) plastic: when the two objects colliding stick together. like a bullet hitting a tree



now since you're studying balls, it'll be of the "inelastic" kind. in inelastic collisions momentum is conserved and not energy since part of the balls energy is turned into sound or heat or maybe even to deform the ball.



after that long explanation here is the answer to your question. the velocity after collision depends on:

1) the velocity of the ball before collision

2) the mass of the ball

3) the coefficient of restitution (bounciness : D)



the coefficient of restitution is a property of collision and not an object. it is calculated with the following formula:



CR =-v/u

v is the velocity of the object after impact

u is the velocity of the object before impact



this number is between 0 and 1, 0: when objects do not bounce at all and 1 when the ball bounces elastically (in simpler terms when no energy is lost after collision and the ball bounces to the same height as where it was dropped from)



speaking of height another way to find CR is to use the following formula:



CR = sqrt(h/H)

h is the bounce height

H is the drop height



hope this helped, good luck

Answer 4

Gravity, friction from the floor, and the mass of the ball all affect the bounce of a ball. I imagine a rubber ball would bounce higher because there is less surface area for gravity to act on and the rubber on a rubber ball is smoother than the bumpy surface of a basketball causing less friction.