What are the forces acting on a tennis ball?
3 min read
Asked by: Tiffany Johnson
Thrust – momentum of the racquet pushing the ball forward. Gravity – the weight of the ball acts downward from the ball’s center of gravity. Drag – refers to the force, in this case – air resistance, acting in the opposite direction (flight direction) of the movement of an object.
What forces are used to play tennis?
The force of gravity is what allows the game of tennis to be played. Without gravity, the ball wouldn’t come down and bounce in the court after it was hit. A tennis ball is constantly undergoing acceleration because it is acted on by the force of gravity.
What force is acting on the tennis ball as it drops on the ground?
Gravity is the force that causes things to fall to earth. When you drop a ball (or anything) it falls down. Gravity causes everything to fall at the same speed. This is why balls that weigh different amounts hit the ground at the same time.
What is the force of a tennis ball hitting a racket?
Entering these values on our calculator, we find that 𝐹 is equal to 124.26 newtons. That’s the average force magnitude exerted on the tennis ball.
How much force does a tennis ball have?
Newton (N). a standard tennis ball, mg = 0.057 x 9.8 = 0.559 N. The drag force is as large as the gravitational force even at moderate ball speeds. At a very fast serve speed of 60 m/s, the drag force is 7.3 times bigger than the gravitational force.
How does friction affect a tennis ball?
If the frictional force acting on the ball is sufficiently large, it will pass from the sliding phase to the overspinning phase. During the overspinning phase the frictional force acting on the ball switches direction, causing the velocity parallel to the surface to increase and the topspin to decrease.
How is motion used in tennis?
The friction between the ball and the racquet’s strings is responsible for causing the ball to spin forward. (1) Professional tennis players often slide their racquets over the ball to put topspin on their shots. On the contrary, players are capable of putting backspin on their shots by performing a slicing motion.
What type of motion is a tennis ball?
Rotational Motion, Center of Mass, and Moment of Inertia:
Rotational motion plays a huge role in the game of tennis. The rotational motion, or spin, of a tennis ball affects its trajectory through the air, as well as how it bounces.
What forces are acting on a ball at the top of its bounce?
The forces acting on a spinning ball during its flight are the gravitational force (FG), the drag force (FD), the Magnus force (FM), and the buoyant force (FB).
What force causes a ball to bounce back up?
Yes, gravity does affect they way balls bounce. Gravity pulls the ball toward the ground, slowing the ball down so that each bounce is shorter and shorter, until eventually the ball stops bouncing. The force of the ball hitting the hard ground puts an equal force back onto the ball, causing it to bounce up.
What force causes a ball to move?
There is a normal force from the surface on the ball. As long as the surface is straight, this force is equal to the force of gravity (the weight of the ball). Once you reach the curve, the normal force increases and the ball is accelerated upwards.
What is the action in bouncing a ball?
The push the ball receives from the floor causes it to rebound, meaning it bounces up. The moving ball again has kinetic energy. This is an example of Newton’s Third Law of Motion: Action/Reaction.
