First, I don\'t have a strong knowledge of physics, so please forgive my lack of

Question

First, I don't have a strong knowledge of physics, so please forgive my lack of precision in defining my question.

Consider an airless free-fall situation where a steel ball and a balsa ball (with the expected great difference in mass) were dropped simultaneously. They fall, say, 1 meter and hit the ground, which is (for example) a 10 cm thick dry hard concrete slab.

Now consider the above experiment, performed on the earth, and performed again on the moon. What are the differences that would be observed, based on the differing gravities?

At first I was thinking that on the moon, the recoil or bounce from the object striking the ground would lift the objects higher up. But now I think that the reduced force of gravity on the moon would result in less impact force, and therefore an identical rebound, in height.

But the time spent falling should be different, correct? And would the "hang time" of the object after the bounce be longer on the moon?

Thanks for your help with this.

Explanation / Answer

Assuming the wooden ball and the steel ball were both 100% elastic, the only difference between the earth and the moon would be the time it takes.

If you used a slow-motion camera on the earth, it could look just like it does on the moon.

(BTW, "hang time" is not a physical quantity - it's just something you perceive :)

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