What makes something bounce

Why don't all objects bounce like rubber balls? Ask Question. Asked 3 years, 7 months ago. Active 3 years, 7 months ago. Viewed 16k times. Why is it that some things bounce while others don't? Improve this question. Nat 4, 4 4 gold badges 22 22 silver badges 37 37 bronze badges. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. In order to bounce, an object must "pass" all the steps above.

So, out of three objects, only the rubber ball will bounce. If there's sand instead of hard surface, any object falling in sand would behave like an object which falls on the hard surface and fails the 3rd step 2 - See " Clarifying the actual definition of elasticity. Improve this answer. That is influenced by the following factors in addition to having an elastic ball : A low coefficient of elasticity of the ball i.

Peter - Reinstate Monica 3, 10 10 silver badges 23 23 bronze badges. Books don't really deform much at the macroscopic level, so they don't really bounce. Nat Nat 4, 4 4 gold badges 22 22 silver badges 37 37 bronze badges. I was hoping that Google Images would have an animated. As noted by garyp, "The size of the deformation is irrelevant". I gave the example of steel not deforming much and yet bouncing almost as well as rubber and possibly even better than it.

You're misunderstanding the issue. If it helps, I'd recommend thinking of springs; a steel ball's more like a stiffer spring.

I can't spot anything wrong with the lighting or the acoustics. Am I missing something? Show 2 more comments. Eelco Hoogendoorn Eelco Hoogendoorn 2 2 silver badges 5 5 bronze badges. Dmitry Grigoryev Dmitry Grigoryev 4, 1 1 gold badge 14 14 silver badges 32 32 bronze badges. Vocabulary: Elasticity : The tendency of an object to return to its original shape after being stretched or compressed. Extensions Put some of the bouncy balls in the freezer for a few hours. Take them out and bounce them again.

Do they go as high when they are cold? Did any of the balls bounce higher than 1 metre? Why does this make sense? Where there any unintended energy conversions? Why can't a ball ever bounce all the way back to where it started? Related Resources Energy Transfer Through Balls In this activity, students learn about energy transfer by observing a demonstration involving balls of different size and elasticity.

Elastic Energy Ever wonder why a rubber ball bounces, or what makes a wind-up toy go? Goo Who knew that chemistry could be so wonderfully gooey? You can investigate bounciness with an activity at home. Here are some instructions to make your very own bouncy ball. How high will your bouncy ball go? What happens if you warm it up? What happens if you cool it down?

Tell me about it sometime at Dr. Universe wsu. Search for:. Videos Activities Podcasts. Sincerely, Dr. Why do objects bounce when they fall on the floor? Does the floor push back up when an object hits it?

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