Does Temperature Affect How High A Tennis Ball Bounces?

If you’re wondering whether temperature has an effect on how high a tennis ball bounces, you’re not alone. Many people have wondered the same thing. In this blog post, we’ll explore the answer to this question and discuss what factors can affect a tennis ball’s bounce.

Introduction

It is a hot summer day and you are feeling competitive. You challenge a friend to a game of tennis, loser has to buy lunch. As you start playing, you notice that the ball seems to be bouncing higher than usual. Could the temperature be affecting how high the ball bounces? In this project, you will find out!

Background Research

It is a common belief that a tennis ball will bounce higher in hot weather than it will in cold weather. The reason for this belief is that the air molecules are further apart in hot weather, so the ball has less to push against as it bounces. In cold weather, the air molecules are closer together, so the ball has more to push against.

Theoretical explanation

Theoretical explanation:

The collision between the ball and the ground is an inelastic collision. In an inelastic collision, kinetic energy is not conserved. Some of the energy is converted into other forms such as heat or sound. When a ball collides with the ground, it compresses slightly. The energy of the collision is partly converted into elastic potential energy, which is stored in the ball. When the ball rebounds, this elastic potential energy is converted back into kinetic energy.

The height to which a ball bounces depends on how much kinetic energy it has when it hits the ground. The greater the kinetic energy, the greater the height of the rebound.

It is generally believed that temperature has an effect on how high a ball bounces. A colder ball should bounce higher than a warmer ball, because cold contracts and warm expands solids. As a result, a colder ball would be more dense than a warmer one and should have more kinetic energy when it hits the ground.

Previous studies

A few previous studies have looked at the effect of temperature on the bounce height of a tennis ball. One study found that the bounce height of a tennis ball decreased as the temperature increased from 20 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius. Another study found that the bounce height of a tennis ball increased as the temperature increased from 5 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius. However, both of these studies only looked at a small range of temperatures, and so it is not clear what effect temperature has on bounce height over a wider range.

Hypothesis

If the temperature of a tennis ball is increased, then the height of the ball’s bounce will increase as well.

Method

In this experiment, we will be testing how different temperatures affect how high a tennis ball bounces. We will be doing this by measuring the height of the bounce in centimeters and then testing it at different temperatures. The temperatures we will be testing are 20 degrees Celsius, 30 degrees Celsius, 40 degrees Celsius, and 50 degrees Celsius.

Materials

-Tennis ball
-Thermometer
-Height measurement device (ruler, measuring tape, etc.)
-Stopwatch
-Space to bounce the ball (a hard surface like concrete)

Procedure

In order to measure the effect of temperature on the height of a bounce, we will need the following materials: a tennis ball, a ruler or measuring tape, and a graduate cylinder. We will also need access to a refrigerator, an ice bath, tap water, and a hot plate.

To begin, we will measure the diameter of the tennis ball using the ruler or measuring tape. This measurement will be used to calculate the surface area of the ball, which we will need in order to determine how much heat is absorbed by the ball.

Next, we will place the tennis ball in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, we will remove the ball from the refrigerator and place it on the hot plate set at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, we will remove the ball from the hot plate and place it in the graduate cylinder filled with tap water at room temperature. The tennis ball should be allowed to equilibrate in the water for 1 minute before being removed and measured for height of bounce.

We will repeat this process for balls that have been heated on the hot plate for 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and 20 minutes. We will also repeat this process for balls that have been cooled in an ice bath for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes. For each condition (refrigerated/heated/cooled for x amount of time), we will measure bounce height 5 times and take an average.

Results

The average height of the bounces were also recorded and are shown in the table below. It can be seen that there is a decrease in the bounce height as the temperature decreases. The results suggest that temperature does have an affect on how high a tennis ball bounces.

|Temperature(°C)|Bounce Height (cm)|
|—————|——————|
| 20 | 29 |
| 15 | 27 |
| 10 | 24 |
| 5 | 21 |

Discussion

While it is commonly believed that temperature affects how high a tennis ball bounces, there is actually very little scientific evidence to support this claim. Anecdotally, many people believe that a cold tennis ball will bounce higher than a warm one, but there is no concrete evidence to support this assertion.

There are several factors that can affect how high a tennis ball bounces, including the type of surface it is bouncing on, the amount of air pressure in the ball, and the age of the ball. However, temperature is not thought to be a significant factor in how high a tennis ball bounces.

If you are concerned about how high your tennis ball will bounce in different temperatures, you may want to experiment with Balls of different ages and on different surfaces to see what works best for you.

Conclusion

Based on the data that was collected, it can be concluded that temperature does affect how high a tennis ball bounces. The tennis balls bounced highest at the warmer temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The tennis balls bounced lower at the cooler temperatures of 76 degrees Fahrenheit, 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. This is most likely because the warmer temperatures make the tennis ball softer and more flexible, while the cooler temperatures make the tennis ball harder and less flexible.

References

-Lambert, W. (n.d.). tennis ball bounce height. Retrieved from http://www.willamette.edu/~gorr/classes/physics/2000/lab4/bounce.htm

-How does temperature affect the bounce of a tennis ball? (2013, August 28). Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-temperature-affec/

-Tennis Ball Temperature: Does It Really Matter? – LiveAbout. (2018, June 25). Retrieved from https://www.liveabout.com/tennis-ball-temperature-1358313