* Elasticity: Tennis balls are designed to be bouncy because of their rubber composition, which is elastic. Elasticity means the material can deform under pressure and then return to its original shape. This stored energy is what makes the ball bounce.
* Cold and Elasticity: When you freeze a tennis ball, the rubber becomes very stiff and brittle. This reduces the ball's ability to deform and store energy. Think of a rubber band - it becomes less stretchy and loses its "snap" when it's cold.
* Impact and Energy Loss: When a frozen tennis ball hits the ground, it doesn't deform as much. This means less energy is stored, and more energy is lost as heat due to friction. This results in a lower bounce.
Experiment: You can try this out yourself! Take two tennis balls – one at room temperature and one frozen. Drop them from the same height and see the difference in their bounce.
Let me know if you have any other science questions!
