Super Ball

toys · rubber · physics · bouncy

Invented in 1964. A chemist named Norman Stingley created the Super Ball using a special synthetic rubber called Zectron that had never been made before.

Super elastic rubber. Super Balls are made from a mix of materials including polybutadiene, silica, and zinc oxide that are heated and pressed together under enormous pressure to make them extra bouncy.

Bounces incredibly high. When you drop a Super Ball from your shoulder onto a hard floor, it bounces almost all the way back up to where it started, and if an adult throws one down hard, it can bounce higher than a three-story building.

Perfect rebound chemistry. The special way the rubber is made with sulfur at high heat gives Super Balls something scientists call a high coefficient of restitution, which means they bounce back almost as much energy as they take in.