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Long Drop

Just to see what would happen
  (+6, -1)
(+6, -1)
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I read somewhere that a good rubber ball will bounce back two thirds of the drop height. The original plan was to go to the top of a tall building, drop the ball then run down stairs to two thirds of the height to see if you could catch the ball on the way back

BUT now all I want to do is to get one of those massive rubber band balls (as made famous by competing farmers somewhere in US), hang it from the bottom of a hot air balloon (a big one, or a chinook) take it a mile high, and cut the rope. I had envisaged doing it over an old airfield.

Oh, and film it for repeat viewings.

Mony a Mickle, Nov 13 2008

Rubber Band Ball story (probably not [Snoyes]'s) http://www.walesonl...l&objectid=12779931
[phundug, Nov 13 2008]

world's biggest rubber band launch http://www.videosif...Rubber-Band-Be-Shot
the result will surprise you [samosa_pirate, Nov 14 2008]

[link]






       //The original plan was to go to the top of a tall building, drop the ball then run down stairs to two thirds of the height to see if you could catch the ball on the way back//
Better yet to make a carefully timed bungee leap, so that the bottom of the leap coincides with the top of the bounce.
coprocephalous, Nov 13 2008
  

       // the bottom of the leap coincides with the top of the bounce. //   

       And bring a paper bag, to carry your teeth home afterwards .....
8th of 7, Nov 13 2008
  

       Ripley's Believe it or Not did just that (they used a plane, rather than a balloon or helicopter). The ball exploded on impact. When they found the crater some minutes later, many of the chunks of rubber band were still vibrating.
snoyes, Nov 13 2008
  

       How do you add rubber bands to a ball that's already two feet in diameter? Do you make a rubber band chain and wrap it around and then tie a knot?
phundug, Nov 13 2008
  

       anything involving rubber bands gets (+). The more the better. Even better to have thousands in a ball.
samosa_pirate, Nov 14 2008
  

       //How do you add rubber bands to a ball that's already two feet in diameter?//   

       They use giant rubber bands. They're used for holding large items together in shipping.
nomocrow, Nov 14 2008
  

       You can only drop it from so high before the law of diminishing returns takes effect. (aside - who the hell passed that law? Let us all join in the effort to repeal it!)   

       The ball reaches terminal velocity after it has been falling a while and then any higher does not make it bounce any further higher.   

       Or you drop it in vaccuum.
neelandan, Nov 14 2008
  

       //falling a while//   

       How long's that then? About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea?
Mony a Mickle, Nov 14 2008
  

       Snoyes has exactly the same story as in the link, i think.
hattiel, Nov 15 2008
  

       Yeah, it's baked. Wish I'd seen it. If they had done it from a balloon they could have taken it up a little bit, dropped it and repeated higher and higher until disintegration.
Mony a Mickle, Nov 15 2008
  
      
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