Despite a very strong wind, a tennis player manages to hit a tennis ball with her racquet so that the ball passes over the net and lands in her opponents court. Consider the following forces: 1 - A downward force of gravity. 2 - A force by the "hit". 3 - A force exerted by the air. Which of the above forces is (are) acting on the tennis ball after it has left contact with the racquet and before it touches the ground?

Question

Abel Giles

Physics

2 July, 21:19

Despite a very strong wind, a tennis player manages to hit a tennis ball with her racquet so that the ball passes over the net and lands in her opponents court. Consider the following forces: 1 - A downward force of gravity. 2 - A force by the "hit". 3 - A force exerted by the air. Which of the above forces is (are) acting on the tennis ball after it has left contact with the racquet and before it touches the ground?

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Answers (1)

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Ansley Jenkins · Answer 1

The downward force of gravity and the force exerted by the air.

Explanation:

Gravity, in a Newtonian Framework, acts at distance, so, the ball doesn't has to be connected to Earth to feel its gravitational pull (as we know by experience).

The racket only can exert a force in the ball when is touching it, so, once the ball has left the contact with the racket, there is no force by the "hit".

The air is always touching the ball on the atmosphere (even when physicist pretend that is not). So, there is drag from the wind, and a buoyant force exerted by the air over the ball at every time.