Calculating the impact force for a basketball hitting the ground.

A flat basketball has a mass of 250 grams and is dropped so that it hits the ground but doesn’t rebound. The velocity of the ball RIGHT before it hits the ground is (0, -2.3, 0 ) m/s. If the ball moves a distance of 7 cm during impact with the ground (because the ball collapses), what is the average force the ground exerts on the ball during this collision? How long does the collision last? You can ignore the gravitational force during this collision.

[FancyAnimal]

This is completely wrong as you have no way of knowing the velocity profile of the ball as it deforms, hence Vavg doesn’t equal V1/2. You can use the energy method of mgh = 1/2kx^2. Put the ball in an instron to determine the average compression stiffness K at the nba regulation ball pressure. You can also use EA/L as a stiffness approximation: Then you know the drop height or V1, so you can solve for X in the energy equation. Then use hooke’s law to find F since F=kx. Plus you didn’t have to concern yourself with gravity effects. If you don’t consider the stiffness of the ball, you shouldn’t present this problem even if it’s a vector exercise since all impact simulations are stiffness vs time dependent.

[blooddrunk]

So I know the basic force formula, but how would you figure out the force of an object moving at a constant speed hitting another object that isn't moving? Say a car traveling at 60mph hitting a wall? Would you have to use the deceleration as "a" in the formula? Or is there a way to calculate it with just speed?

[arjunsharma]

Sir I have a question-
If a ball of mass 10 kg is accelerating 5m/s2 for last 10 seconds and hit an object and exert a force of 50N.
Next Case: if the same ball of mass 10 kg is accelerating 5 m/s2 for last 1000sec and hit an object will it exert the same force of 50N on that object cuz the ball has uniform acceleration but its velocity is increasing 5m/s every sec for last 1000 seconds rather than only 10 seconds in previous case?