At a carnival game, two balls are identical in mass and radius, but one is made of steel, and one is made of rubber. The game is to throw them at a bowling pin and try to knock it over. If the balls are thrown with the same speed and hit the same spot on the bowling pin, which is more likely to knock it over?
A) the steel ball
B) Without knowing more information, this cannot be answered.
C) the rubber ball
D) Both are equally likely since they have the same momentum

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The steel ball is more likely to knock over the bowling pin because, for objects with the same mass and velocity (thus the same momentum), the one with the higher density (in this case, steel) will typically transfer energy more efficiently upon impact, leading to a greater force on the pin.

At a Carnival Game, Two Balls Are Identical in Mass