Oblique impact of a buckling table-tennis ball on a rigid surface.

Abstract

We report on the rebound of a table-tennis ball impinging without any initial spin in oblique incidence on a rigid surface. We show that, below a critical incidence angle, the ball rolls without sliding when bouncing back from the surface. In that case, the reflected angular velocity acquired by the ball can be predicted without any knowledge of the properties of the contact between the ball and the solid surface. Beyond the critical incidence angle, the condition of rolling without sliding is not reached within the time of contact with the surface. In this second case, one can predict the reflected angular and linear velocities, as well as the rebound angle, provided the supplementary knowledge of the friction coefficient associated with the ball-substrate contact.