What makes a rubber ball bounce?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, balls made of elastic materials such as rubber bounce because the material stretches and deforms when they hit a surface and then reform back into their original shapes, which releases energy into a kinetic form, causing the rubber ball to bounce. read more

Rubber’s elastic material is the primary reason why rubber balls bounce. Elasticity is the tendency for objects to retain their original shape. When dropping a rubber ball, the part of the ball that hits the ground flattens out. read more