Question...Why do 'Table Tennis' balls burn to complete nothing

De_Bunk

Scourge of the Believer
De_Bunk
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
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Serious question...

I mean...there ain't nothing left...No residue..No ashes...No nothing...all gone...

And they ignite fairly easily, burn well, make very black smoke and then there is nothing left...

What is in the composition that makes it burn so well...and why do they smell 'minty'...Do they spray them with something...?

If you dont believe me...go buy some and try...

Any ideas...Any Chemistry gurus here know the answer...?

DB
 
Um...why are you burning table tennis balls? Shouldn't those be in use for table tennis instead?
 
Maybe because they are filled with a gas like regular tennis balls. If you ever wondered why they go flat its because the gas has leaked out.
 
Essentially for the OP to be true, the entirity of the material substance of the balll would need to be converted to the black smoke that was observed. Matter cannot be created or destroyed. All of the matter that previously constituted the ball must be there somewhere. According to the OP, the only thing left for it to be is the thick black smoke.

Therefore, I am skeptical that table tennis balls burn to complete nothing.
 
De_Bunk said:
I mean...there ain't nothing left...No residue..No ashes...No nothing...all gone...

And they ignite fairly easily, burn well, make very black smoke and then there is nothing left...
Click to expand...


The “very black smoke” is something, isn't it? Residue and ashes, so fine that instead of immediately settling to the ground, it hangs in the air. That's what smoke is. That's what is left of your table tennis balls.

If there really was nothing left of a burning table tennis ball, then there wouldn't be any smoke.
 
SeanDamnit...

Nice one...Impressive that you knew where to find a vid...thanks!...

I also never thought that they were filled with gas...Are they really under pressure ?...(I doubt it tho'...they can't be...surely not)

But try a white one...the normal standard ball...

Are they made differently?...(i know about the hardness of them 1, 2 or 3...)

DB
 
PS...

I fully understand the 'everything is matter' statement...

But why do they burn so completely..?

What are table tennis/ping pong balls made of, to burn so efficiently...?

DB
 
From what Wiki says, modern table tennis balls are made up of polymeric nitrocellulose (this is also the basis of guncotton!). The products of combustion of this sort of polymer are CO2, H2O, N2, all gaseous materials (note that the nitro group provides oxygen in situ to aid combustion; further note that the combustion of anything organic is CO2 and H2O); complete combustion would leave no solid residue. From the youtube film, there seems to be a flammable gas present inside the ball. I don't know what this is; methane and hydrogen are both ligher than air.
 
Well...none of the balls i ever used were filled with gas...If they got punctured..you could push out the dent and continue playing, just as before...

I know its a bit trivial...but i'm intrigued by it....

DB
 
They're made of celluloid, which is extremely flammable...just ask a film archivist. A purer form of this material is nitrocellulose, or "gun cotton." That's what magician's flash paper is made of.
 
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De_Bunk said:
Well...none of the balls i ever used were filled with gas...If they got punctured..you could push out the dent and continue playing, just as before...
Click to expand...
They should have been, but it's not under high pressure and it's not flammable gas.
 
De_Bunk said:
Well...none of the balls i ever used were filled with gas...If they got punctured..you could push out the dent and continue playing, just as before...
Click to expand...


They are all filled with gas. If they were not, then they would contain a vacuum, and the air pressure from outside of them would crush them.
 
I've never purchased table tennis balls. Are they marked as flammable on the packaging? Is it legal to board a plane with a set of balls in your hand luggage? Are there restrictions on transporting them?

Inquiring minds want to know!
 
Bob...

So...Are normal lawn tennis balls filled with a gas...

DB
 
De_Bunk said:
Bob...

So...Are normal lawn tennis balls filled with a gas...

DB
Click to expand...
Most are, and they're packed under pressure. However there are pressureless tennis balls, but they don't have the same bounce. They're used mostly as practice balls. Table tennis balls don't need much pressure because their structure provides most of their support.
 
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Gravy....

Are you sure about this...I just thought they were formed, trapping the air inside..

Table tennis balls come in three 'star' grades...3 being the hardest ball...so i assume it has a thicker skin than a 1....

I just cannot see ball makers injecting a gas, under pressure, into them...

Thinking about it...I'd be interested in seeing how they are made...

I do know this is trivial...So i thank you lot for your answers on such a subject...

Its been bugging me for a while now...and i thought i could work it out logically...hence me returning to a place where i knew someone would know.

Thanks guys...

DB

(But is still dont think they are filled with anything other than air...unless i missed something above)
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_tennis#Ball

This says "gas filled" but that doesn't necessarily mean pressurized. I don't know why they'd say that otherwise. I don't think people are assuming that the balls have a vacuum inside. If they are pressurized, they're formed in a pressurized environment, rather than being injected.

ETA: perhaps they say "gas filled" to differentiate it from any other possible filling (solid or liquid). So, no, I'm not sure they're pressurized.
 
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