129k views
3 votes
What effect does the court surface have on the height that the basketball bounces?”

1 Answer

6 votes
The type of surface a basketball collides will have an effect on the height of the bounce.

When a basketball collides with a surface, some energy is absorbed by the surface. Hard surfaces like concrete, absorbs only a little energy, which gives the ball more energy to bounce. Soft surfaces, like a carpeted floor for instance, absorbs more energy and as a result, the ball does not bounce as high.

The more energy the surface can absorb, the less energy will be left in the ball, which decreases the height of its bounce.

User Shique
by
5.5k points