Penn professor gives televised physics lesson

Apparently there is a correct way to bounce a ball. 

When Hollywood wanted to learn just how to do so, it turned to Penn professor Robert Johnson. Johnson, a lecturer and lab coordinator at Penn since 2011, provided insights into the science of bouncing a ball, on an upcoming episode of the television series "Going Deep with David Rees."

According to Esquire Network's press manager Ivana Nimoh, the show's host David Rees attempts to understand the science and history behind everyday tasks in order to “deconstruct the obvious to increase awareness and astonishment.” Every episode delves into a different ordinary task, from bouncing a ball, to doing the dishes or even getting punched. Celebrities such as Amy Sedaris, Bernard Hopkins, Aimee Mann, John Hodgman and Paul F. Tompkins, as well as some of the world’s experts in science and technology, will be appearing on episodes of the show, she said.

The episode in which Johnson appears will air on Dec. 2 at 10 p.m. on the Esquire Channel. In the episode, which was filmed in the David Rittenhouse Laboratory, Johnson and Rees used high-speed video to discuss the physics behind what makes a ball bounce.

For example, as a basketball strikes a table, the air inside is compressed, causing it to spring back into shape and bounce off of the surface, Johnson said. On the other hand, objects like putty that are not filled with air deform, but don't bounce back, he added.

The show initially contacted Penn's physics department, and decided to invite Johnson, in part because of his work in a physics lab program that uses video analysis with high-speed cameras. 

Johnson was very positive about his experience with the show.  

“I think that the concept of the show is really interesting and I appreciate what they’re doing because it’s hard to communicate science to the general public," he said. "Sometimes, the experts that are doing science are not necessarily the best at conveying it to an audience.” He added, “I think that people like David Rees, Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson, who have a reputation for being entertaining in their descriptions of science, are really important because they possess skills that not everyone has.”

Johnson said Rees was "dynamic and enthusiastic" but that he found it challenging to answer some of Rees' questions which sought black-and-white answers to concepts that Johnson thought were more nuanced.

Johnson said the show was a learning experience.

“I’m always interested in outreach and communicating science to non-scientists," he said. "It gives me something to work on. Just learning how other people are thinking about science, that’s something that’s really interesting to me. It’s hard to get into other people’s heads without talking to them or having them ask you questions.”

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