Bouncy balls bounce because the material of the ball is extremely elastic and can convert kinetic energy from falling into potential energy and back into kinetic energy again with little loss of momentum. They are used in many classrooms because they can easily demonstrate conservation of momentum through a highly elastic collision.
Like many things made out of rubber, bouncy balls have very high elasticity, meaning they rapidly return to their resting state after being stretched or squashed.
If a bouncy ball is dropped onto a hard surface, it flattens some as it contacts the surface, and the kinetic energy of its motion is converted into potential energy. This is very similar to the potential energy stored in a spring that gets compressed; once it is released, it pushes out with …show more content…
Polymers behave in a similar way as the long strands of spaghetti. If the long molecules slide past each other, the substance acts like a liquid.
If the polymers stick together in a few places, then the substance will be a rubbery solid, an elastomer. And elastomer is a natural or synthetic polymer having elastic properties.
When the glue mixture was added to the borax, the borax acted as a cross-linker, hooking the glue’s molecules together to form the rubbery bouncy ball. A cross-link is a bond that links one polymer chain to another.
The cornstarch was added to help bind the molecules together so the ball will hold its shape.
The ball can bounce because of the cross-linked polymers. Since the long polymer chains are flexible, when the ball hits the ground, it is able to momentarily deform or squish.
The polymers also make the ball elastic meaning it tends to retain its shape. Once the ball hits the ground and becomes flattened, the elasticity causes the ball to return to its round shape and pushes the ball back up into the
Like many things made out of rubber, bouncy balls have very high elasticity, meaning they rapidly return to their resting state after being stretched or squashed.
If a bouncy ball is dropped onto a hard surface, it flattens some as it contacts the surface, and the kinetic energy of its motion is converted into potential energy. This is very similar to the potential energy stored in a spring that gets compressed; once it is released, it pushes out with …show more content…
Polymers behave in a similar way as the long strands of spaghetti. If the long molecules slide past each other, the substance acts like a liquid.
If the polymers stick together in a few places, then the substance will be a rubbery solid, an elastomer. And elastomer is a natural or synthetic polymer having elastic properties.
When the glue mixture was added to the borax, the borax acted as a cross-linker, hooking the glue’s molecules together to form the rubbery bouncy ball. A cross-link is a bond that links one polymer chain to another.
The cornstarch was added to help bind the molecules together so the ball will hold its shape.
The ball can bounce because of the cross-linked polymers. Since the long polymer chains are flexible, when the ball hits the ground, it is able to momentarily deform or squish.
The polymers also make the ball elastic meaning it tends to retain its shape. Once the ball hits the ground and becomes flattened, the elasticity causes the ball to return to its round shape and pushes the ball back up into the