Absorbency
One of the main design differences between these
balls is their ability to absorb water. This was
tested by tracking changes in mass after repeatedly
submerging them in water for a measured interval of
time. The time was measured with a stop watch, and
upon removing them from the water the balls were
lightly dried with rags to remove excess moisture
clinging to the surface before the balls were
weighed. The synthetic balls absorb water at a much
slower rate, averaging 8.6 grams per minute. The
conditioned leather balls absorbed water more
rapidly, 69 grams within a minute. After
quasi-saturation at these water masses, the leather
balls absorb water at a much slower rate than the
synthetic balls, averaging 3.3 grams per minute (see
graph below)
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