Re: Ping Pong ball on top of a golf ball and drop it: What Happens?

This is a classic lab which demonstrates a remarkably simple concept, but is surprisingly difficult to do properly. The basic point of the lab is to demonstrate the transference of energy between two moving bodies. When the ping pong ball is placed on top of the golf ball and they are dropped together, the golf ball transfers part of it's inertia to the ping pong ball, sending it flying higher into the air than when it is dropped alone. However, if the two are not lined up directly, the golf ball transfers the energy to the ping pong ball at an angle (called a vector) which sends the ping pong ball shooting off in the direction of that angle.

You really have to practice this one to perform it properly. If the two are lined up perfectly, the force is exerted back on the ping pong ball in a vector which sends it straight up. The main point is to show that (according to Newton's laws, and the Law of Conservation of Energy) the energy of the golf ball is transferred to the ping pong ball. Because the golf ball has a greater mass than the ping pong ball, it will exert a greater force on the ping pong ball than the floor would if you had dropped the ping pong ball alone.

If you would like to see where this lab experiment comes from, here are a couple of web pages for science teachers explaining the lab.
whelmers
nasa