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F = ma (Final Problems)
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FMA-2024-23 · 2024 F = ma (AAPT)

2024 F = ma Exam — Question 23

Collisions between ping pong balls and paddles are not perfectly elastic. Suppose that if a player holds a paddle still and drops a ball on top of it from any height h, it will bounce back up to height h/2. To keep the ball bouncing steadily, the player moves the paddle up and down, so that it is moving upward with speed 1.0 m/s whenever the ball hits it. What is the height to which the ball is bouncing?
Source: Question 23, 2024 F = ma Exam, © 2024 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.