Impact Velocity and Coefficient of Restitution of a Table Tennis Ball

Abstract

The impact of a table tennis ball upon a paddle was recorded using a high-speed camera. The effect of the ball’s initial impact velocity on its coefficient of restitution was determined for impact velocities ranging from 1.4 ms-1 to 20.2 ms-1. It was found that the coefficient of restitution decreased linearly with increasing impact velocity.

Keywords

• table tennis ball
• coefficient of restitution
• impact velocity