Oscar De La Huerte answered
The size of a ball can affect how it bounces because a large ball will come up against greater air resistance when it bounces, due to its larger surface area.
This is not the only factor that can affect the height of bounce, so being larger doesn't necessarily mean the ball will bounce lower, though.
Bouncing balls- does size matter? When a ball travels through the air, it needs to push lots of invisible air particles out of the way - try to imagine how it feels when you walk through a swimming pool.
The bigger the surface area, the more air the ball will need to push out of the way to move up or down - and pushing this air out of the way slows the ball's progress down because it is losing energy.
This means it will travel slower, and bounce lower than a smaller ball (which wouldn't meet as much resistance).
How high will a big ball bounce?
There are, however, plenty of other factors to take into consideration:
Elasticity - How a ball bounces has a lot to do with its elasticity and how it reacts to hitting the ground.
Gravity - Gravity is a force that the ball will have to resist as it travels away from the ground.
The shape and material of the ball - These two factors are important in working out how air resistance affects a ball travelling through the air.
For more information on the physical laws that govern bouncing balls, why not check out: van.physics.illinois.edu
This is not the only factor that can affect the height of bounce, so being larger doesn't necessarily mean the ball will bounce lower, though.
Bouncing balls- does size matter? When a ball travels through the air, it needs to push lots of invisible air particles out of the way - try to imagine how it feels when you walk through a swimming pool.
The bigger the surface area, the more air the ball will need to push out of the way to move up or down - and pushing this air out of the way slows the ball's progress down because it is losing energy.
This means it will travel slower, and bounce lower than a smaller ball (which wouldn't meet as much resistance).
How high will a big ball bounce?
There are, however, plenty of other factors to take into consideration:
Elasticity - How a ball bounces has a lot to do with its elasticity and how it reacts to hitting the ground.
Gravity - Gravity is a force that the ball will have to resist as it travels away from the ground.
The shape and material of the ball - These two factors are important in working out how air resistance affects a ball travelling through the air.
For more information on the physical laws that govern bouncing balls, why not check out: van.physics.illinois.edu
