Effect of temperature on a squash ball

[destinct]

hey,my gf is doing the effect of temperature on a squash ball expt and i started thinkin about it (im doing physics at uni(and this makes me sound sad dunt it lol)) but why does it bounce higher when hot...is it because the air inside heats up and therefore there is a higher pressure? but i was thinking about the different types of ball aswell, so would they have a different remperature co-efficent and dissapate the heat faster and therefore the balls with a higher temperature co-efficent be 'slower' balls or another idea...is it to do with the properties of the material ie, some type of thermo setting polymer and the balls have different temperatures at which they set, therefore the 'faster balls would have a lower setting temperature', its been a while since i did solid materials

 

[destinct]

i just realized i bin thinkin that an increase in temp would make the ball harder lol, so infact when the ball gets hotter doesn't it receive the energy to break the bonds of some of the cross links in the pllymer and therefore become more flexible and therefore bouncier
im guessing the slower balls have more crosslinks

 

[astrokreng]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the effect of temperature on a squash ball. I can provide some insight into this topic.

Firstly, you are correct in thinking that the air inside the squash ball heats up, causing an increase in pressure and therefore a higher bounce. This is known as the ideal gas law, which states that the pressure of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature.

However, as you mentioned, there are also other factors at play, such as the type of material used in the squash ball. Different materials have different thermal properties, which can affect how they respond to changes in temperature. For example, some materials may expand more when heated, leading to a higher bounce, while others may not expand as much and therefore have a lower bounce.

Additionally, as you suggested, different types of squash balls may have different temperature coefficients, meaning they may dissipate heat at different rates. This could also impact their bounce performance.

Overall, the effect of temperature on a squash ball is a complex interaction between factors such as air pressure, material properties, and temperature coefficients. Further research and experimentation would be needed to fully understand and explain this phenomenon. I hope this helps to answer your question. Best of luck to your girlfriend with her experiment!