Why Do Ping Pong Balls Bounce: Exciting Reasons Unveiled

Like all ping pong players, we all are familiar with how much the ping pong ball bounces, and after a time, you can actually become really good at anticipating exactly where the ping pong ball will bounce, so you can be right there waiting to strike when the time comes. But why does the ping pong ball bounce in the first place?

This article will teach you why ping pong balls bounce, what affects the way it bounces, and some other fun facts about it that will most certainly be interesting and valuable to know. But first, why do table tennis balls bounce?

Ping pong balls bounce because of elasticity. This means that when the ball hits the ground, it will stretch and compress its shape, and when it returns to its original shape, it gives it a powerful bounce. The effect is so powerful because ping pong balls are hollow and made from thin plastic.

The material that the ping pong ball is bounced against will have a huge difference as well. The harder the material, the higher the ball will bounce because elasticity works best against a hard surface.

To give you an example of how high a ping pong ball bounces from different heights and different materials, I have made a test to see the effects.

Read also: Does A Ping Pong Ball Need To Bounce? (Rule You Must Know)

Ping pong ball bounce test

Drop Surface:	Drop Height:	Bounce Height:
Parquet floor	25cm	13cm
Hard mat	25cm	1cm
Glass table	25cm	23cm
Ceramic tile	25cm	18cm
Parquet floor	50cm	26cm
Hard mat	50cm	3cm
Glass table	50cm	42cm
Ceramic tile	50cm	32cm
Parquet floor	100cm	52cm
Hard mat	100cm	5cm
Glass table	100cm	71cm
Ceramic tile	100cm	62cm

What makes ping pong balls bounce

The opposite force makes a ping pong ball bounce. This works when you drop the ball, and it hit’s the surface; equal and opposite force will make it bounce back up. However, it doesn’t reach the same height where you dropped it because it needs energy and force to deform itself into its original shape.

What affects the height a ping pong ball bounces

Ping pong ball’s bounce height is a combination of many things. First, the ping pong ball’s material, density, and elasticity greatly impact the bounce height. Second, the hardness and texture of the material it is dropped on have a big impact. Last, the amount of air will affect as well.

Do ping pong balls lose bounce?

Ping pong balls lose some of their bounce force; however, they are so hollow, light, stiff, and elastic that they lose only a small amount of their bounce. This is why they bounce so many times before stopping. On the other hand, if you drop it on something soft, like a mattress, it will lose nearly all its energy.

I wanted to know how much it actually loses its bounce when dropped; therefore, I made this little experiment on how many times the ping pong ball bounce before it doesn’t have energy for a single bounce. I experimented with different heights as well.

Bounce height:	Bounce times:
25cm	9 times
50cm	12 times
75cm	13 times
100cm	15 times

As we can see, the bounce height didn’t affect the bounces as much as it could be thought. I measured the bounces on top of a parquet floor, and the bounces were measured by eye as far they were clear bounces.

Why does the height of a ping pong ball’s bounce decrease

Ping pong ball’s bounce decreases because the ball doesn’t get the same energy back each time it bounces; therefore, the bounce’s height is lower every time. Ping pong ball’s energy is converted into heat; thus, the ball doesn’t get as much kinetic energy, and the bounce is weaker.

Where does the energy go when a ping pong ball bounces

When you drop the ball, it gains kinetic energy on its way down. When it finally hits the floor, the kinetic energy moves to the floor, then transferred into thermal energy, meaning heat. Also, when the ball bounces back up, it is momentarily deformed, and it needs some energy to reform its form.

Read also: How To Choose Table Tennis Balls? (Step-By-Step)

Here you’ll find my favorite table tennis equipment

Thanks for reading this article. I hope that it brought you great value that you can implement into your own life! Here are my top table tennis equipment recommendations that I think you should check out. You can find my favorite racket, ping pong balls, racket case, and table tennis shoes.

• Racket: My favorite racket choice is the Killerspin Jet800 because it fits my offensive and speed-focused playstyle. The 2 carbon layers, 2.1mm sponge, and 190g weight makes this racket powerful. The spin is great as well, however, if you are a total beginner then you might be more comfortable with a control-oriented racket. Nonetheless, I love this racket as I do all Killerspin’s rackets and the design is top-notch as well!
• Ping Pong Balls: New technology and design have made the JOOLA Flash Seamless 3-Star Balls stand out from the other balls. You see, these balls are seamless meaning they are many times more durable than any ball with a seam! Even when these balls come with a higher price, they will pay themselves back really fast. As a bonus, the design makes me really excited!
• Racket Case: The Andro Mundro Racket Case is my favorite because it fits 2 rackets really nicely, it has good cushioning, and the best part is that it comes with a zip pocket on the front where you can store your membership card, cash, keys, and other belongings!
• Table Tennis shoes: The famous Butterfly Lezoline Rifones is my choice as it is for many others because they are designed specifically for table tennis standards. What I like about them is the flawless support, comfortable cushioning, and lightweight sole that has great traction which gets you exploding fast to whatever direction you need to.

Interested in how this website was made or how to make your own? Start Here

Conclusion

There are many reasons why ping pong balls bounce the way they do and it is no wonder why people use just that to play beer pong, for example. I hope that this article was valuable to you and you now understand a lot about ping pong balls and their bouncing capabilities (Find Out If They Will Wear Out?) (Find Out If They Will Wear Out?).