A rubber ball is dropped from the top of a ladder. It bounces on the same spot on the ground several times, each time to a lesser height than the previous bounce, before coming to rest in place.

In one or two sentences, explain how the experiment shows the direction that gravity pulls an object, specifically showing that it does not pull an object parallel to the ground.

The experiment shows that gravity pulls the rubber ball towards the ground in a vertical direction as it bounces lower with each bounce, demonstrating that gravity does not pull the ball parallel to the ground.