eli5 how come when you bounce a ball that it does not bounce at the same height as before.

Question

I always wondered why a ball does not bounce back to the same height.

In: 0

Answer 1

As the ball is falling some energy is lost to air resistance. The ball hits the floor and the friction within the material of the ball turns some energy into heat, and also some energy is turned into sound. Then as the ball goes back up even more energy is lost to air resistance.