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?
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I object that would not deform at all would be a perfect [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastic_collision](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastic_collision) where all kinetic energy and momentum are preserved. In vaccume bouncing like that would continue forever. Individual atoms will bounce like that but objects on the human scale will flex to some degree.
Steel ball bounces very well if you bounce them on somting equally hard, it most situation the will be the harder object and the ground before so there is not a lot of bouncing but look at what happens whe [Ball bearing bounces on a anvil](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuX5s5r9i74)
Here you have metal and other hard balls like glass boing for a long time on a special metal object https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpuCtzdvix4
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