Is a Tennis Ball Green or Yellow?

A debate rages on the internet – is a tennis ball green or yellow? We investigate the answer with science.

Introduction

A tennis ball is a ball that is used in the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are typically approximately 2.57 inches (6.5 cm) in diameter and are covered in a felt fabric that gives them a unique bounce. The color of tennis balls has long been a subject of debate, with some people asserting that they are green and others claiming that they are yellow.

So, what is the true color of a tennis ball? The answer may depend on your perspective. While the official color of a tennis ball according to the International Tennis Federation is “optic yellow,” some people may perceive the color as being closer to green. This is due to the fact that our brains process color in different ways – some people may be more sensitive to certain colors than others. In addition, the way light reflects off of a tennis ball can also affect the way it appears to be colored.

So, whether you see a tennis ball as being green or yellow, there is no right or wrong answer – it all comes down to personal perception.

The Argument For Green

While the vast majority of tennis balls are indeed yellow, there is a small but vocal contingent that argues they are, in fact, green. The green tennis ball movement first gained traction in the early 2000s, when professional player Andy Roddick began using them during matches. Roddick’s endorsement lent the cause a level of legitimacy, and soon other players were joining the ranks of those using green balls.

The principal argument for the greenness of tennis balls is that they appear significantly greener when viewed on a television screen. This is due to the way cameras process color information; yellow and green are on opposite sides of the color spectrum, so when a camera’s sensor is overloaded with yellow light, it compensates by desaturating the image, making everything appear more green.

The Argument For Yellow

The color of a tennis ball is often debated – is it green or yellow? While there is no official answer, the prevailing argument seems to be that tennis balls are actually yellow.

There are a few reasons for this. First, if you look at a tennis ball under a UV light, it will appear to be glowing yellow. This is because the pigments in the ball absorb blue and green light, and reflect back yellow light.

Another reason people believe tennis balls are yellow is because of their association with other yellow objects. For example, when you think of all the things that are traditionally associated with tennis – like Wimbledon and tennis whites – they all lean towards the color yellow.

And finally, many people argue that tennis balls would simply look odd if they were any other color. After all, nearly every other sport uses a different color ball – so why would tennis be different? The thinking goes that if tennis balls were green, they would just blend in with the courts too much and wouldn’t be as easily visible.

So while there is no definitive answer, it seems that the argument for tennis balls being yellow is stronger than the argument for them being green.

The Truth

The truth is that a tennis ball is neither green nor yellow, but it is instead a shade of orange. The color of a tennis ball is created by a combination of yellow and red pigments, which are mixed together in equal proportions. However, the actual color of a tennis ball can vary slightly depending on the manufacturer.

Conclusion

The true color of a tennis ball is yellow. However, the greenish tint that is often seen on tennis balls is caused by a phenomenon called simultaneous contrast. This occurs when two colors are placed next to each other and their contrast makes them appear to be a different color than they actually are. In the case of tennis balls, the greenish tint is created by the contrast between the yellow of the ball and the green of the grass.