Hooked on Science: Double ball drop challenge

Materials

* Basketball

* Pingpong ball

Instructions

STEP 1: Hold the basketball and pingpong ball at the same height.

STEP 2: Release the balls at the same time and observe. Which ball hits the floor first?

Explanation

Both the basketball and the pingpong ball hit the floor at the same time. Gravity is the force that pulls the basketball and the pingpong ball to the floor. While the balls are falling near Earth's surface at the same acceleration, the basketball, which is heavier, has more inertia or resistance and resists moving more than the pingpong ball. This means the basketball needs more force to get it moving at the same rate, causing both balls to hit the floor at the same time.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments.