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F = ma (Final Problems)
Kinematics
FMA-2008-24 · 2008 F = ma (AAPT)

2008 F = ma Exam — Question 24

24. A ball is launched upward from the ground at an initial vertical speed of v0 and begins bouncing vertically. Every time it rebounds, it loses a proportion of the magnitude of its velocity due to the inelastic nature of the collision, such that if the speed just before hitting the ground on a bounce is v, then the speed just after the bounce is rv, where r < 1 is a constant. Calculate the total length of time that the ball remains bouncing, assuming that any time associated with the actual contact of the ball with the ground is negligible.
Source: Question 24, 2008 F = ma Exam, © 2008 American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the U.S. Physics Team. Adapted by PhysicsTrainer: reformatted into a separate question and answer choices for online multiple-choice practice; any shared setup from nearby questions is repeated here. Not affiliated with or endorsed by AAPT or the U.S. Physics Team.