When a bouncing ball falls, it initially gains speed or kinetic energy—the energy of motion. ... The ball slows down, deforms temporarily and shoots back up. The air in the ball acts like a spring—it gets compressed and expands again. During the collision, some of the ball's energy is converted into heat.

Why does bouncing happen?

Strange as it may seem, a ball bounces off the floor because the floor pushes it up! ... When you drop a ball, gravity pulls it toward the floor. The ball gains energy of motion, known as kinetic energy. When the ball hits the floor and stops, that energy has to go somewhere.

What force causes objects to bounce?

Gravity pulls the ball toward the ground, slowing the ball down so that each bounce is shorter and shorter, until eventually the ball stops bouncing. The force of the ball hitting the hard ground puts an equal force back onto the ball, causing it to bounce up.