Reflections on a Bouncing Ball

Rohr, Jim; López, Verónica Vázquez; Rohr, Tyler

doi:10.1119/1.4902196

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 14 publications

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“…The method would, however, be applicable to a 'free' ball bouncing repeatedly onto an elastic surface. The successive reduction in the time period between bounces can be used to measure CoR of the ball [11].…”

Section: ) Newton's Cradlementioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study of two types of ball-on-ball collision

White

2017

Phys. Educ.

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This paper describes three methods of measuring the coefficient of restitution (CoR) for two different types of ball-on-ball collision. The first collision type (for which two different CoR measurement procedures are described) is a static, hanging steel ball forming part of a Newton's cradle arrangement, which is then hit by its adjacent identical ball, swinging down from an angle. The second scenario (for which one CoR measurement procedure is described) is a snooker ball interaction in which the cue ball rolls in, and collides with, a static coloured ball (both balls being of a resin composition).The investigation requires only readily available and inexpensive equipment, together with an open-source video analysis programme, called 'Tracker' 2 .Perhaps surprisingly, the experiment yields widely differing CoR values for the two types of interaction. This variance cannot be solely accounted for by the difference in physical properties of the respective balls' compositions. The paper then describes, in theoretical terms, the details of the dynamic interactions in each example, and hence validates the surprising discrepancy in the two results obtained empirically.

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Section: ) Newton's Cradlementioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative study of two types of ball-on-ball collision

White

2017

Phys. Educ.

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Methods to determine the risk of unintended allergen presence related to the dispersion of allergenic food particles in food production areas

et al. 2021

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A low-cost method for quantifying bouncing ball dynamics with smartphone video

Poonyawatpornkul,

Snguanrat,

Chaiworn

2024

Phys. Educ.

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This study employed a low-cost method for quantifying bouncing ball dynamics with smartphone video. High-speed video analysis was used to investigate the bouncing behaviour of different balls, including table tennis, rubber, and tennis balls, on a table tennis surface. To examine the effect of surface material on bouncing dynamics, the table tennis ball was also tested on wood and tile surfaces. Key parameters analysed included bounce height decay, the coefficient of restitution (COR), and the bounce half-life. Additionally, we measured the total bouncing time and analysed the relationship between changes in gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, and total mechanical energy (ME). Our results revealed a significant correlation between the COR and the decay rate of bounce height. Balls with higher COR values, indicative of lower energy loss per bounce, exhibited slower decay rates, resulting in longer bounce half-lives and extended total bounce times. For instance, the table tennis ball on a tile surface demonstrated a high COR of 0.93, a bounce half-life of 4.65 bounces, and a total bounce time of 8.22 ± 0.34 s. This suggests that material properties such as stiffness and elasticity of both the ball and the surface significantly influence the COR and decay rate, beyond just surface smoothness. Furthermore, our analysis of ME changes in the bouncing balls aligns with theoretical predictions, providing insights into the energy transformations occurring during bouncing. This improved understanding can also be a valuable tool for educators, helping teachers and students bridge the gap between theory and real-world observations, leading to a deeper grasp of the concepts.

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Reflections on a Bouncing Ball

Cited by 3 publications

References 14 publications

A comparative study of two types of ball-on-ball collision

A comparative study of two types of ball-on-ball collision

Methods to determine the risk of unintended allergen presence related to the dispersion of allergenic food particles in food production areas

A low-cost method for quantifying bouncing ball dynamics with smartphone video

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