Final answer:
When catching a ball while giving with it, the ball slows down. When catching a ball while keeping your hands still, the ball accelerates. Belly flops create a lot of splash and resistance, while diving fingers first creates less resistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
When catching a ball while giving with it, pulling your hands toward your body, the ball's momentum causes it to push against your hands, resulting in a force that slows down the ball. This is known as an elastic collision. On the other hand, when catching a ball while keeping your hands still, the ball's momentum causes it to push past your hands, resulting in a force that accelerates the ball. This is known as an inelastic collision.
When hitting the water with your full palm, representing a belly flop, the large surface area of your palm creates a lot of splash and resistance when entering the water. This is why belly flops can be painful. However, when diving into the water with your fingers first, representing a dive, the smaller surface area creates less resistance, allowing the diver to enter the water smoothly with minimal splash.
I would advise people to avoid belly flops as they can be painful and can cause injuries. Diving with proper form, like entering the water fingers first, is a safer and more efficient way to enter the water.