Data
Tennis Trials
I set up 2 measuring tapes accross the court to identify where the ball will land, and added that distance from the net to the length of my side of the court to determine the average distance for each trial. Standing at the baseline, I hit the ball while holding it in my hand at a height of 1m. I recorded my data using a stopwatch to identify the time taken for the ball to reach the ground from the impact of my racket. I did ten trials to increase the accuracy of my expirement which helped me identify that the average time the ball takes to land is, 0.90s and the average distance the ball travels is 20.2m.
Sample Calculation:
Average time = (t1 + t2 + t3 + t4 + t5 + t6 + t7 + t8 + t9 + t10)/10
= (0.9s + 0.81s + 1.01s + 0.72s + 0.88s + 0.95s + 1.04s + 0.98s + 0.77s + 0.91s)/10
=0.897
Therefore average time equals 0.90s
Trial
Time (s)
Distance (m)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0.90
0.81
1.01
0.72
0.88
0.95
1.04
0.98
0.77
0.91
Average
0.90
19
22.2
21
16
23
20.8
19.7
21.4
20.2
19
20.2
Varried Results
Trials may have varried results as each shot is different. The ball is hit at different speeds and forces, the amount of friction between the racket and the ball varries, thus the landing point and timing is never the same. Although, through a calculated amount of trials, you can get an aproximate evaluation of the distance and time of the ball by calulating the average. As shown in the image to the left, the player is exerting a force on the ball which is making it bounce off the racket, although the amount of force applied changes every time, given your stance, position, or speed.
The player in this picture is applying a force onto the ball making it fly back in the opposite direction from which it impacted the racket.