Southampton
Quoted from kirkgun:When you do the live catch (and do it absolutely perfectly, such that the ball seems to just stick to the flipper) there is no force transferred to the ball, from the flipper. The flipper actually ~absorbs~ the ball's momentum (kinetic energy). The force of the flipper is not equal to that of the ball. It is negative to that of the ball, and subtracts energy from the ball.
That's not how physics works, dude. "Taking momentum away" is a force in the upward direction on the ball.
IAMA Physicist, so let me work up a proper explanation with math and shit. I've been interested in working this out for a while, so this is as good a time as any. To the whiteboard!
