A ball bounces because it changes shape on impact and the momentum from changing the shape back to normal makes it go up again. Then why rock solid stuff also bounce when dropped? Ive seen pebbles bounce when dropped. My phone bounces like 1 or 2 times when i drop it. Why?
In: 2
First, not everything goes back to the original shape. It can deform permanently. This is why snowballs and play-doh (plasticine) do not bounce.
For things that do spring back to the original shape, it still takes energy to deform it, and it does not spring back with the same force. Memory foam is a good example of something that absorbs most of the energy – it does go back to the original shape but does not give back most of the energy it receives. Generally, the harder the object, the less energy it absorbs.
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