written by Wolfgang Christian

This interactive model displays the dynamics of a ball dropped near the surface of Earth onto a table top. The model was designed to extend the free fall concept to include motion in the horizontal direction, allowing students to explore the impulsive normal force that reverses the ball's velocity upon collision with the table. Initial conditions for the ball are an initial positive velocity in the x direction and zero initial velocity in the y direction. The coefficient of restitution for the ball's collision with the platform is less than one.  

This item was created with Easy Java Simulations (EJS), a modeling tool that allows users without formal programming experience to generate computer models and simulations. To run the simulation, simply click the Java Archive file below. To modify or customize the model, See Related Materials for detailed instructions on installing and running the EJS Modeling and Authoring Tool.

• Download ejs_newton_FreeFallCartesian.jar - 1230kb Java Archive File

Last Modified June 2, 2008