Energy Concept Question...

[B Cass]

"When a ball is dropped to the floor from a height h, it strikes the ground and briefly undergoes a change of shape before rebounding to a max ht. less than h. Explain why it does not return to the same height h."

Is this because some of the kinetic energy is transferred to heat?? What does the shape change have to do with it? I know I'm making this more complex than it has to be! TIA!

[radou]

Yes, an amount of kinetic energy is transformed into heat caused by the deformation of the ball during the collision.

[turdferguson]

If the collision was perfectly elastic, it would bounce back to the same height, but KE is lost as you said. That "change of shape" line should get you thinking inelastic. Perfectly elastic means that it was at its original shape before and after the collision with no deforming whatsoever