
Racquet String Tension and Ball Speed
Medium
Does tighter string tension make a tennis serve faster or slower? You set up two identical racquets with different string tensions: 50 pounds and 70 pounds. Five amateur players each serve five times with each racquet.
A radar gun measures the ball speed after every serve. You record the fastest serve from each set. Comparing the speeds across both tensions shows whether looser or tighter strings produce a faster ball.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that the racquet with the lower tension level will make the ball travel faster.
Method & Materials
You will have five amateur tennis players use two racquets with different string tensions to serve the ball. The speed of the ball will be measured with a radar gun.
You will need five amateur tennis players, one tennis court, two tennis racquets with frames of the same weight and design, one box of tennis balls, and a radar gun.
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See what’s includedResults
The results show that all the five tennis players were able to hit and make the ball travel faster when using the racquet with the 50 lbs string tension. This proves that the hypothesis is true.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it shows how the tension of a tennis racquet's strings can affect the speed of the ball.
Also Consider
Consider experimenting with racquets of different weights, or measuring the distance traveled by the ball.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
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