KINEMATICS SPECIAL EDITION:

TENNIS

BY EMILY FORNEY

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can an observer in a particular reference frame describe the motion of a tennis ball in one dimension using such quantities as position, velocity and acceleration?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.INTRODUCTION TO "SPORT"
History of the sport
Equipment used
Basic rules
Records 
Interesting or odd facts about this sport.

2.MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS
Video of Sport
Verbal Description
Graphical Representation
Mathematical Representation 

3. REAL LIFE SCENARIO

4.REFERENCES

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HISTORY OF TENNIS

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Tennis is originally developed from jeu de paume which means “game of the hand”, which was invented in France in the 11th century. The game was originally played with bare hands and the sport drastically changed with the invention of the racket in the 16th century. Eventually a special scoring system was made and the game got its name from the French word “tenez” which means “here it comes” and was said when the opponent was about to serve the ball. Tennis was first played on grass courts with a rubber ball, and the first Wimbledon tournament (which is still played on grass courts) was held in 1877. After grass, clay courts were introduced in the 19th century, then hardwood flooring, then eventually hard courts made of concrete or acrylic surfaces.

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TENNIS EQUIPMENT

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Racket Frame - The racket frame, which used to made out of wood, is now made of aluminum or graphite. The weight and the thickness of the frame depend on the size and strength of the player that will be using the racket.

Racket Strings - Choose nylon or titanium strings that will be strung vertically and horizontally in the middle of your racket frame.

Tennis ball - Made from a hollow rubber core and is usually yellow and fuzzy on the outside. Must measure between 2.5 in. and 2.63 in. in diameter and bounce between 53 and 58 in. after being dropped from a height of 100 in to be used in tournaments.

Clothing and Shoes - Usually a material that wicks away sweat and has a pocket to hold a tennis ball. Shoes depend on if you play on clay court or hard court. It is best to have a shoe that allows you to slide on clay and does not let you slip on hard courts.

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RULES OF TENNIS

Tennis is played on a rectangular court with a net running across the center line. The goal is to hit the ball over the net and in the boundaries of the court so that your opponent is not able to return it. A point is awarded every time a player hits the ball over the net in the court, and their opponent is unable to return it. A match can be played with either 1 or 2 players on each side of the court (singles or doubles). On their court the back line on either side is called the base line, there is a service line parallel to the base line about halfway through one side of the court, and there are two lines that run perpendicular to the net and the base line that create two doubles alleys. In a singles match if the ball is hit in the doubles alleys, it is out. But in a doubles match, the ball would be considered in.

RULES OF TENNIS

To win a game of tennis you need to score at least four points, To win a set, you must win a 6 games (win by 2), and to win a match you must win a certain amount of sets (usually best of 3 for women and 5 for men). The scoring in games goes 15 (1 point), 30 (2 points), 40 (3 points). If you get to 40 and win a point, then you win the game. However, if the score is 40-40, this is called a deuce and a player needs to win two points in a row to win the game.

TENNIS RECORDS

Mens:
Most Grand Slam Singles Tournament Titles: Roger Federer (20)
Most Prize Money: Novak Djokovic ($119,110,890)

Womens:
Most Grand Slam Singles Tournament Titles: Serena Williams (23)
Most Prize Money: Serena Williams ($88,233,301)

INTERESTING TENNIS FACTS

1. The longest tennis match ever played was between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. It took 11 hours and 5 minutes to end in a victory for John Isner.

2. Tennis balls were originally white, and yellow balls were first used for Wimbledon in 1986

VERBAL DESCRIPTION

In this video, the player serves the ball over the net to his opponent. The ball hits his racket (the origin) and speeds up over the net and into the ground of the opposite player’s service box.

In this video the ball starts at the origin which is the server’s tennis racket and accelerates in a positive direction. At the beginning of the serve, it travels at about 51 m/s but it accelerates to a maximum speed of 54 m/s. It goes a distance of about 17 meters in about 0.33 seconds.