Many factors influence a tennis ball's bounce, including the temperature of the ball. To understand how temperature affects a tennis ball's bounce, you must turn to kinematics -- a branch of physics used to describe the motion of objects. You can use kinematics to examine how heat and cold affect the ball's bounce.
Background
When you drop a tennis ball from a given height and let it hit the ground, the ball deforms slightly and bends inward. The ground then exerts an upward normal force on the ball that causes it to rebound and bounce upward. If you let the ball continue to bounce, it will bounce less high each time until it eventually just sits on the ground. This is because the collision between the ball and the ground is inelastic, which means that some of the ball's energy of motion, or kinetic energy, is lost as heat energy or sound energy during each bounce.
Hot Temperatures
You can increase the elasticity of a tennis ball's collision with the ground by increasing the air pressure of the ball. The higher the air pressure of the tennis ball, the higher the ball will bounce. As the temperature of the ball increases, the air molecules in the ball gain kinetic energy. This causes them to move faster and collide against the walls of the ball, which increases the air pressure of the ball. This is why you may notice that the ball bounces higher than usual on a hot day. You can revive your worn-out tennis balls by heating them in the dryer, according to former chief medical officer of the Women's Tennis Association, Dr. Carol Otis.
Cold Temperatures
At the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament, officials used to refrigerate tennis balls before matches. This is because if you let a tennis ball sit under the hot sun before play, its air pressure will increase and it will bounce excessively on the court. When you refrigerate a tennis ball, the kinetic energy of the air molecules in the ball decreases. This causes the molecules to collide less with the walls of the ball, and decreases the ball's air pressure. The procedure is supposed to improve the playability of the ball, according to the United States Tennis Association.
Considerations
Temperature is just one factor that influences how a tennis ball bounces. The force with which the ball is struck, the height from which it is dropped and its altitude all affect the ball's bounce. This is because these factors affect the force with which the ball hits the ground, which in turn determines the strength of the upward force exerted by the ground on the ball, causing it to bounce. The greater the upward force exerted by the ground on the ball, the higher the ball will bounce.
Background
When you drop a tennis ball from a given height and let it hit the ground, the ball deforms slightly and bends inward. The ground then exerts an upward normal force on the ball that causes it to rebound and bounce upward. If you let the ball continue to bounce, it will bounce less high each time until it eventually just sits on the ground. This is because the collision between the ball and the ground is inelastic, which means that some of the ball's energy of motion, or kinetic energy, is lost as heat energy or sound energy during each bounce.
Hot Temperatures
You can increase the elasticity of a tennis ball's collision with the ground by increasing the air pressure of the ball. The higher the air pressure of the tennis ball, the higher the ball will bounce. As the temperature of the ball increases, the air molecules in the ball gain kinetic energy. This causes them to move faster and collide against the walls of the ball, which increases the air pressure of the ball. This is why you may notice that the ball bounces higher than usual on a hot day. You can revive your worn-out tennis balls by heating them in the dryer, according to former chief medical officer of the Women's Tennis Association, Dr. Carol Otis.
Cold Temperatures
At the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament, officials used to refrigerate tennis balls before matches. This is because if you let a tennis ball sit under the hot sun before play, its air pressure will increase and it will bounce excessively on the court. When you refrigerate a tennis ball, the kinetic energy of the air molecules in the ball decreases. This causes the molecules to collide less with the walls of the ball, and decreases the ball's air pressure. The procedure is supposed to improve the playability of the ball, according to the United States Tennis Association.
Considerations
Temperature is just one factor that influences how a tennis ball bounces. The force with which the ball is struck, the height from which it is dropped and its altitude all affect the ball's bounce. This is because these factors affect the force with which the ball hits the ground, which in turn determines the strength of the upward force exerted by the ground on the ball, causing it to bounce. The greater the upward force exerted by the ground on the ball, the higher the ball will bounce.