2022/02/07 by Martin Allen, B. Allen, Allen, Martin +1
Engineering · Medicine · Physics and Astronomy · #Experimental and Theoretical Physics Studies #FOS: Physical sciences #Physics Education (physics.ed-ph) #Sports Dynamics and Biomechanics #Sports Performance and Training
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2202.03034
openalex publication_date 2022/02/07 · openalex created_date 2022/05/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The coefficient of restitution ε characterizes the energy retained when a ball bounces, and can easily be measured in an ``at home'' experiment. For thin-walled gas-filled balls such as basketballs, we construct a simple two parameter model to describe how ε changes as a function of the ball's internal pressure. A comparison with data shows good agreement. With additional assumptions, the model also predicts how ε changes as a function of temperature. A comparison with tennis ball data shows surprisingly good agreement.