Stroboscopic Photograph of a Bouncing Ball

k

time

initial velocity in x

Δt

Stroboscopic photography is a technique to study a moving object (commonly a bouncing ball) that shows its position at equal time intervals

Δt

using a flashing strobe light and a camera with an open shutter. The relation between the maximum distance fallen and the distance traveled in the latest time interval is observed.

At the top of each bounce, the energy is potential, and at the bottom, it is kinetic, so this experiment shows their interplay. Every bounce has less height because a fraction

k

of the mechanical energy is conserved and the rest is converted to heat.