Purpose: Describe elastic and inelastic collisions.
Parts: Atomic Trampoline set up which contains,
- One stainless steel base
- One stainless steel base with a 1/8″ thick disk of Liquid metal glued atop it.
- Two 14″tall clear plastic tubes.
- Two small stainless steel ball bearings.
Set up: Place the clear tubes over the two basses and drop the two identical steel balls one in each. Ball bounces much longer on the Liquid metal surface than on stainless steel. As can be seen from the picture there are small pits on the stainless steel base which evident the permanent deformations due to collision of the steel ball. This requires energy which has dissipated from the bouncing ball.
