Is bouncing a ball physics explain?

Question

It's for class

Answer 1

Yes. The basic explanation is the ball has Potential Energy (PE) when it is raised at a certain height and once dropped the PE is converted into Kinetic Energy (KE) and the ball picks up speed as the Earth gravity pulls it down.  Depending on what the ball is made of, once it strikes the ground, it may or may not 'bounce'.  Some energy is lost, or 'transfered', in the contact with the ground, and when the ball reaches its highest point after the bounce, the whole thing repeats until all energy is 'lost'.

here are some good links

http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/~circus/ener...

http://www.pacifier.com/~ppenn/bounce.ht...

Answer 2

yes actually its one of newtons basic laws of energy and motion.

for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

you expend energy throwing the ball to the ground which is also assisted by the earths gravitational pull. now the ball hits the surface compresses and has no where to go but except to expand back to its original form and in doing so the ball is thrust back into the air. its all there simple to understand. i hope that helps

Answer 3

Of course.  Physics is the study of the interactions of matter and energy.

Matter = ball, ground

Energy = gravity