Reflected Motion: the Length and Force of a Rebound
A longer rebound keeps more of the mover's power; a short rebound is more impeded
Marked 'A,' the page states rules of 'reflected motion,' the rebound of a body after a percussion. A rebound is stronger the longer it is, and it is longer when it occurs between more diverse angles. A long, shallow rebound (drawn as a nearly horizontal line) is less impeded and retains most of the first mover's power, whereas a short, near-vertical rebound signals that the body was strongly impeded at the point of impact and lost much of its original power.
On this page
Rules of reflected (rebound) motion
Under the mark 'A': the reflected motion will be of greater strength the longer it is, and that reflected motion will be longer which is caused between more diverse angles.
The long rebound loses little power
The longer reflected motion is less impeded because it varies little from the motion of the percussion; that percussion is of little force, so little of the power of the first mover is lost.
The short rebound is greatly diminished
The shorter reflected motion is a sign of greater impediment at the site of the percussion and of great deviation from the line of incidence, so it is strongly diminished from the power of the first motion.
