If you are one of those who thinks that a ping-pong (table tennis) ball is only good for playing ping-pong (table tennis) then you’d be wrong. Researchers across the globe have found them useful in many ways – for example:
○ To simulate snow avalanches (videos here in .avi format)
○ As a surgical aid in liver transplantation
○ To deter elephants (when filled with chilli oil)
Improbable can predict, with some confidence, that there are other research fields where ping-pong (table tennis) balls are found to be useful, if not indispensable – if you are aware of any, do let us know by commenting below (please note that in this instance, we’re looking for uses that researchers find for the balls, rather than researchers observing what others might do with them.)
Further reading: Technical Leaflet T3: The Ball