

a free falling ball on earth, is $g=9.81 \frac\approx2\mu s$$Įxtending this comprehensible example to the velocity also pictures the ball at the ground.

This description is qualitative, but it captures the essential mechanistic features of what is happening.Īcceleration of an object, e.g. All these events take place within a tiny fraction of a second. At this point, the ball loses contact with the ground. The decompression wave then travels downward until the ball is fully decompressed, and the entire ball is now traveling upwards. First the part of the ball at the top decompresses, and the velocity of this material is then upward. Eventaully, the compression zone encompasses the entire ball, and the entire ball has come to a stop. The portion of the ball within the compression zone is not longer moving, but the part of the ball beyond the compression zone is still moving downward. A compression wave travels upward through the ball. The ground exerts a force on the ball, and the ball begins to compress.
#FREEFALL POSITION VS. TIME FULL#
If the ground is rigid, once the ball makes contact with the ground, the leading edge of the ball comes to a full stop, but the remainder of the ball is still moving downward. So there is no inconsistency with either the laws of physics or the laws of mathematics.

This large force causes the ball velocity to change direction from downward to upward, and translates into a large upward acceleration of very short duration. When the ball makes contact with the ground, the ground exerts a very large (upward) force on the ball for a very short interval of time.
