Wall Bounce

This interactive simulator explores Wall Bounce in Classical Mechanics. 2D box: frictionless walls, restitution e, optional gravity. Trails and kinetic energy graph. Use the controls to change the scenario; watch the visualization and any graphs or readouts to connect the model with lectures, labs, and homework.

Who it's for: Suited to beginners and first exposure to the topic. Typical context: Classical Mechanics.

Key terms

  • wall
  • bounce
  • wall bounce
  • mechanics
  • classical

Live graphs

How it works

A puck slides inside a rectangular enclosure with smooth walls. Each impact reverses the normal component of velocity scaled by the coefficient of restitution e while leaving the tangential component unchanged. With e = 1 kinetic energy is conserved at every bounce; with e < 1 each collision dissipates energy until the puck nearly stops (especially with gravity, when it settles on the floor).

Key equations

v′ = v − (1+e)(v·n)n  ·  n into interior, v·n < 0
e = 1: elastic  ·  e = 0: no bounce along n