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How does gravitational potential energy affect a basketball’s bounce?

Raymond Burruel

Mrs. Masters

12-1-2020

Period 1

Physical Science

Word Count: 527

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Raymond Burruel

Mrs. Masters

December 1st, 2020

Physical Science

Period 1

How does gravitational potential energy affect a basketball’s bounce?

Many people and players alike have wondered how gravitational potential energy affects

a basketball’s bounce. While gravitational potential energy affects a basketball, other types of

energy are involved in bouncing a basketball, like kinetic and elastic potential energy.

Gravitational potential energy affects a basketball’s bounce (and fall) through its height, speed,

and length. While gravitational potential energy doesn’t do anything, it builds up potential

energy meaning that it opens space up for kinetic energy to be used while it falls. The physics of

the bounce of a basketball and how it bounces back are influenced by angles, speed, drag, spin,

and gravity. While basketball seems to be all movement, potential energy influences how much

energy can be funneled into an object before it is moved, how it falls in the air, and to an extent,

its speed. How does energy affect a basketball?

Typically, energy affects the bounce of a basketball in how high it bounces back up, its

speed, and the noise. With its speed, the higher you drop it from, the faster it falls to the ground.

The mass of the ball also helps it gain speed while it falls because the larger the mass, the higher

the mass and height, the faster it falls (Potential 1) (Basketball 1).

Furthermore, gravitational potential energy’s formula is mass multiplied by gravity, (9.8

m/s), multiplied by its height, measured in meters. “Gravitational potential energy is used to
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represent the potential an object has to do work because of its position in a gravitational field”

(What 1). Force can be measured by force multiplied by gravity multiplied by the vertical

distance in gravitational potential energy’s case. “The height or reference point is called a

datum” (What 1).

“The physics of basketball effect and are affected by its angle, speed, drag, spin, and gravity

gravitational potential energy affects its height, arc, and length of it being shot, thrown, or

dropped” (Basketball 1).

Most of the time, potential energy (mostly gravitational) has little influence on actual

shots, it is involved when a basketball is dropped and in an elastic form of potential energy when

it bounces.,” (Potential 1). There is kinetic energy in all of basketball, regardless of whether

you’re dropping it off a balcony or shooting, passing, and dribbling. “There is also thermal

energy in dribbling, shooting, and passing because the person doing it is using energy to do the

latter, and in the person's body there is also heat radiating from the skin and organs” (Potential

1).

How does gravitational potential energy affect a basketball’s bounce? Technically, yes,

gravitational potential energy affects how it bounces, particularly back up vertically because it

helps build up enough energy to hit the ground and still have enough energy that isn’t transferred

out. Gravitational potential energy is affected by the height of the object, its mass, and it is

multiplied by the gravitational force of the earth (9.8 m/s). Gravitational potential energy truly

does affect a basketball’s bounce.

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Citation Page

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2017. Web. 29 Oct. 2020 2017. Web. 29 Oct. 2020

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“MATERIALS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW - American Society for ...” ​ASEE,​

www.asee.org/documents/conferences/k12/2012/2012K12_Ball_Drop_activity.pdf​.

“Potential Energy.” ​The Physics Classroom,​

www.physicsclassroom.com/class/energy/Lesson-1/Potential-Energy​.

"This Is a Pretty Picture of a Golf Ball and an 8mm Thick Slice of a Large Superball Sitting on a

Slab of Polished Granite. The Ball Spins Faster When It Bounces off the Superball Slice since

the Tangential Coefficient of Restitution Is Much Larger. A Golf Ball That Spins Faster Will

Travel Further. Click on Photo to See a Simplified Explanation of Why the Ball Spins Faster.

The Same Effect Occurs with Tennis Strings." ​PHYSICS OF BOUNCE​. Web. 29 Oct. 2020.

Untitled Document​,

ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211_fall2004.web.dir/drew_olson_dean_towarak/dribbling.htm.
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“What Is Gravitational Potential Energy? (Article).” ​Khan Academy​, Khan Academy,

www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/work-and-energy/work-and-energy-tutorial/a/what-is-gr

avitational-potential-energy.