What type of ball can bounce and travel the most?

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From what I have investigated, I know that dimples do a large part of the process of going far, and elasticity for sure is something of the main bounce thing, but things that confuse me like if the ball is empty affects both characteristics, or if the same dimples affect the bounce of the ball in a bad way. So I was thinking of asking here to find out if someone could solve my doubts
 
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Welcome to PhysicsForums. :smile:

Golf balls do not have dimples to bounce better. The dimples are there to give the balls some enhanced aerodynamic characteristics that are helpful for the golf ball's flight:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-dimples-in-golf-ba/

Depending on the velocity regime of the ball, it may be best to be smooth or slightly rough or have the dimples.

As for bounciness, you want a high coefficient of restitution (COR), which depends on the ball's material and the material it is bouncing off of. A steel ball bearing bouncing off of a solid steel floor will have a CoR close to 1.0 (very little energy is lost to heat on each bounce, and it bounces up almost to the same height each time).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_restitution

Do you have any particular floor material and ball velocity profile in mind?
 
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Thanks a lot! I appreciate it in advance and now the doubts that you have solved for me

Floor would be simple concrete, like a normal office building floor or something like that, since from what I have read it is the best for bouncing balls, and the speed of the ball would say enough to keep in the air for a certain time, something like at least one minute. I guess what I wanted to solve with my question is "what would happen if you applied a certain force to a type of ball that can bounce off walls indefinitely or for a long time"
I would suppose such ball would be the most "efficient" ball of all, so it would be the ball that can bounce and travel the most.
I expected that when a ball is applied with force, the speed is what will make it last in the air, and the bouncy is the characteristic that makes it bounce off the floor and walls.
but I am very unsure if I am asking the right questions or if I am on the right track to resolve this question that I have, It is the first time that I see these concepts of areodynamics and until yesterday I did not know that the reason why golf balls had dimples was to make them travel better. I hope you can help me with this!
 
See also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Ball

The CoR always depends on both objects colliding. A very hard steel ball can achieve very high CoR, but only if the floor is also very hard. On softer non-elastic floors a more deformable rubber ball will have a higher CoR than a steel ball.
 
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berkeman said:
Yeah, those are fun! :smile:

Yeah, my Brother just couldn't stop laughing. . . . :DD
Wikipedia and Myself said:
thrown down onto a hard surface by an average adult
my Brother, from a second story window, it can fly over a three-story building back up and hit you on the chin.

Lol. . . true story, honest, I witnessed the unpleasant occurrence. . . . :oops:

.
 
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