Top athletes rely on science and engineering for everything from better tennis rackets to sleeker running clothes, so using these STEM projects for tennis will allow you to expand your knowledge about its physics.
Students conducting this experiment will observe and measure how far a room temperature tennis ball bounces when dropped from shoulder height, then compare that result with one that has been stored in a freezer.
1. Ball Bounce Factor
The height at which a ball bounces depends on its velocity of recession (upward after the bounce) divided by its velocity of approach (downward before it). This value, known as its coefficient of restitution, should equal one for perfectly elastic balls; for most balls however, e will usually fall significantly short of this figure.
Every time a ball bounces, its potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy by acceleration due to gravity, while some of this transferred kinetic energy is transferred back from surfaces it contacts to it.
Students working in pairs perform this experiment by dropping tennis balls from different heights and noting how high it bounces. Together, the teams average their results and plot an average bounce height versus drop height graph, giving a glimpse into what factors affect its height such as size, material composition, surface texture or age.
An advanced version of this experiment involves stacking two balls together – such as a basketball on top of a tennis ball – until one bounces with 16 times more energy due to the transference of kinetic energy. For further guidance and an example video of this experiment, contact Society of Women Engineers.
Other factors affecting a ball’s bounce height include its surface of impact and its elasticity. A hard surface like concrete absorbs and dissipates more kinetic energy upon impact than soft surfaces like grass or carpet; leaving more energy available for its subsequent bounces.
2. Hot and Cold Balls
Springtime marks Science Fair season, and students in many schools are encouraged to conduct projects that reflect their interests – for some this means conducting a tennis-related experiment; in either case, however, the key is creating an experiment or set of observations which can answer a specific question or pose new ones.
As part of any research study, the first step should be conducting extensive background research and creating an experimental design. Once that step is completed, data collection and analyzing can commence.
This experiment explores the effect of temperature on a tennis ball’s bounce height. Students measure how high a room-temperature tennis ball bounces when dropped from a certain height before testing one in the freezer and one warmed by using a heating pad.
When a tennis ball hits the ground, its molecules stretch before contracting again to release energy and make it bounce upward. This phenomenon is known as elastic energy loss; when more force is applied on it, more elastic energy will dissipate into space and diminish over time.
Players should make sure their racket is regularly maintained and its strings tightened to maintain proper contact between ball and racket for as long as possible.
A tennis ball’s bounce height can vary based on various factors, including its brand and age; type of surface it lands on; as well as brand of ball. This experiment measures their effects to identify which factor has the greatest influence over its receptiveness to impactful bounce factors.
3. Bounce Ratio
The bounce ratio, or coefficient of restitution, measures how bouncy a tennis ball is. This experiment helps students develop measurement, data analysis, ratio analysis skills as well as learning about energy transformations.
Students observe how the height of a tennis ball changes as its drop height changes and create a graph to display their findings. Their hypothesis for this investigation was that higher drop heights result in greater increases in bounce height as gravitational potential energy is transformed to kinetic energy upon impact with the ground.
A tennis ball when it hits the ground is crushed into submission by compression of gas molecules within, leading to elastic potential energy and pushing it back up into the air. This energy conservation principle can be observed when two balls drop from different heights simultaneously bounce back up.
Alternately, this experiment can be used to teach students about Newton’s Laws of Universal Gravitation and Special Relativity. Students need to understand that all laws apply equally in any reference frame; that physics of moving objects do not change regardless of where it is measured.
4. String Tension
If you have ever wondered about string tension, try this simple experiment! Attach one end of a piece of string to the bottom of a cup, fill one cup with water (add food coloring if you like), lift both up above each other but not directly above, and observe what happens!
Tension plays a pivotal role in how much energy a string can produce, with tighter tension strings producing more power but having less control. Tuning string tension may help find your perfect combination of power and control for your game.
Tennis players employ different string tensions depending on their personal preferences. Some prefer higher tension as it allows more access to power; others enjoy the “springy” sensation that low tension provides. Some manufacturers provide sets with balanced gauge strings in order to help players find their optimal set ups.
There are various factors that affect string tension, such as player size, body type and experience level. It is generally accepted that high tension strings provide more power for the player.
Tension is an invaluable concept to grasp as it represents potential energy at an atomic level. When pulled apart by external forces, they accumulate potential energy that can then be restored via restoring forces; this phenomenon explains why pendulums swing back and forth and other objects such as weights on springs have regular motion patterns.
5. Bounce Height
As soon as a tennis ball hits the ground, its potential energy is lost to air friction and gravity; some of this energy is then converted back to kinetic energy during its rebound – helping students understand that kinetic energy increases with bounce height. This experiment can provide students with insight into this dynamic.
Students should collaborate to conduct this experiment with their partners by taking turns dropping balls and noting how high it bounces. Students should conduct three trials at each drop height before graphing average bounce height versus initial drop height and looking for a straight line that best represents this relationship between height of drop and bounce height.
This investigation seeks to discover whether or not the elastic properties of a tennis ball affect how high it bounces. Students should investigate various factors which might impact this factor such as size, surface texture, actual material and age before using their data to draw conclusions and design an experiment that tests one of these aspects.
Students conducting this experiment should drop a tennis ball from different heights and measure each bounce using a ruler or measuring stick, recording their findings in a table, then graphing them comparing number of bounces per meter with initial drop height. They should repeat this process at least three times for each height using identical measuring methods to eliminate parallax errors and take an average result before writing an explanation as to why their graphs show what results they do.