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A ball dropped to Earth cannot rebound higher than its release point. However, spray from the bottom of a waterfall can sometimes rise higher than the top of the falls. Why is this?

A ball dropped to Earth cannot rebound higher than its release point. However, spray from the bottom of a waterfall can sometimes rise higher than the top of the falls. Why is this?

Grade:11

1 Answers

Kevin Nash
askIITians Faculty 332 Points
8 years ago

During the instant when the dropped ball is in contact with the ground, the flexing and deformation of the ball increase its internal energy at the expense of its kinetic energy; as a result, its speed just after the bounce is smaller than its speed just before the bounce, and so it cannot return to its original state. But in the case of spray from the bottom of a water fall, there is no loss of kinetic energy, but the increase of internal energy due to surrounding air and the kinetic energy of the air left in the wake of the falling water. The increase of internal energy will transfer to the potential energy of the system. Thus the potential energy of the system will increase results water rise higher than the top of the falls. Therefore spray from the bottom of a waterfall can sometimes rise higher than the top of the falls.

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