Bowling Ball vs. Trampoline

Have you ever wondered what it would take to break a trampoline? Well in a video from How Ridiculous the YouTubers explored which would prevail a bowling ball or a trampoline. The video is pretty cool to watch and they do some fun shots in slow motion too. However, there is also a lot you can learn from their experiment. 

You can analyze the velocity of the bowling ball as it hits the trampoline using physics to find that its final velocity is 29.7 m/s. You can also analyze the forces acting on the trampoline using Hooke's Law. Hooke's Law proves why the bowling ball goes so high on the last drop shown in the video in which they added several golf balls and an additional bowling ball to the trampoline. According to Hooke's Law, F=-kx the heavier the force on the trampoline, the longer the springs extend. Thus the dropped bowling ball is propelled back into the air with a greater force and can reach a greater height. 

In another video, they also dropped watermelons and a large block of ice on the trampoline, and the trampoline still prevailed. However, you can begin to see the springs being stretched to their breaking point when they dropped the ice block from 45m. I think it will be interesting to discover what object will finally cut through the trampoline.