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More on Tennis....Clay Courts!


aweld98

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My last blog post was about the impact of rain on the coefficient of friction on a tennis court, and Mr. Baker commented about how different it is to play on clay tennis courts; I totally agree!  I rarely play on clay courts, but when I do, it is not at all an enjoyable experience because the ball does not seem to travel as fast.  I decided to find out why.  Turns out that clay courts have a higher coefficient of friction than the grass at Wimbledon or other regulation courts.  Turns out that the clay surface decreases the balls momentum, (p=mv), causing shots that would be quick to be more dull.  The reason the momentum decreases is because lose clay clamps around the ball, causing an increase to the already higher force of friction.  Because of the conservation of momentum, even the slightest increase to the tennis balls mass (tiny bits of clay) will cause a decrease in the ball's velocity after it hits the ground.  This decrease in velocity gives the opponent more time to strike the ball, hence decreasing the effect of a hard, well angled shot. I guess it wasn't just my imagination that points seemed duller and shots didn't seem as hard to hit on clay courts; clay courts really do impact the shots and the time opponents have to hit returns!

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