Here's why:
* Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation: Every object with mass exerts a gravitational force on every other object with mass. The force depends on the masses of the objects and the distance between them.
* Mass Comparison: The Earth is incredibly massive compared to a bouncing ball. The Earth's mass is about 5.972 × 10^24 kg, while a typical bouncing ball might weigh a few ounces.
* Resulting Force: Because of the huge mass difference, the gravitational force the ball exerts on the Earth is minuscule. It's so small that it's essentially lost within the much larger forces acting on Earth (like the Sun's gravity).
Analogy: Imagine a tiny ant trying to pull a massive truck. The ant exerts a force, but it's negligible compared to the truck's weight and the forces acting upon it.
While the force is practically insignificant, it's important to remember that every object with mass exerts a gravitational force on every other object, even if that force is extremely small.
