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The Stacked Ball Drop (and Supernovas) – Physics Girl

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How is a supernova like a basketball, a bouncy ball, and a golf ball all stacked together? It’s all in what happens when you drop them. In this stacked ball drop video, Physics Girl Dianna Cowern demonstrates the momentum transfer between two larger objects into a smaller object. Watch as the compression of the basketball and bouncy ball both springboard the golf ball high into the air. Really high.

And how is a stacked ball drop like a supernova? Watch! Then try it out with two balls, then three, and if you can keep them vertically aligned, add a tennis ball or a small super bouncy ball into the mix to see how high you can get that top ball to go.

physics girl
stacked ball drop
Related videos: More bouncing and more balls, including The Physics Behind a Curveball, Everynone: Ball, and Gravité: Objects falling with rhythm.

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