A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions,[1][2] but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt which modifies their aerodynamic properties, and each has a white curvilinear oval covering it.
Modern tennis balls must conform to certain criteria for size, weight, deformation, and bounce criteria to be approved for regulation play. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) defines the official diameter as 6.54–6.86 cm (2.57–2.70 inches). Balls must have masses in the range 56.0–59.4 g (1.98–2.10 ounces). A tennis ball will have generally have 12 more psi (pounds per square inch) of a nitrogen and oxygen mixture than the sea level ambient air pressure.[3][4] Yellow and white are the only colors approved by the ITF, and most balls produced are a fluorescent yellow known as "optic yellow", first introduced in 1972 following research demonstrating they were more visible on television.
Tennis balls are filled with air and are surfaced by a uniform felt-covered rubber compound. Tennis ball felts consist of wool, nylon, and cotton in a mixture that surrounds the rubber edge.[5] The felt delays flow separation in the boundary layer which reduces aerodynamic drag and gives the ball better flight properties.[6][7] Often the balls will have a number on them in addition to the brand name. This helps distinguish one set of balls from another of the same brand on an adjacent court.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "ITF Technical - History". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "Inside Wilson's tennis ball factory". ESPN The Magazine. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ Communications, Grainger Engineering Office of Marketing and. "Tennis Ball Facts". van.physics.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ TennisCompanion (2017-11-18). "Ball in Tennis | Definition, Examples, and Common Questions About The Ball". TennisCompanion. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ Fischetti, Mark (April 2005). "Uniform Variety". Scientific American. 292 (4): 94–95. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0405-94. ISSN 0036-8733.
- ^ "Golf Balls, Cricket Balls and Tennis Balls". Princeton University. 5 October 2005. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
- ^ Dr. Rabi Mehta of NASA-Ames, entitled Aerodynamics of sportsballs, Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, 17:151–189, 1985.
- ^ a b "Colors & Numbers on Tennis Balls". Epic Tennis Academy. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ^ Labmate, International. "How Long Before a Tennis Ball Loses its Bounce? And Where Does It Go? ". Labmate Online. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
- ^ "ITF Technical - Approval Tests". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ Bell, R.C. (1981). Board and table game antiques. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0852635389.
- ^ Morgan, Roger (1995): Tennis, The Development of The European Ball Game, ISBN 0-9510251-8-X
- ^ "The Hammer Beam Roof". www.parliament.uk.
- ^ Cross, R. "Dynamic properties of tennis balls." Sports Engineering 2 (1999): 23-34.
- ^ Gillmeister, Heiner (October 1, 1998). Tennis:Cultural History. A&C Black. ISBN 9780718501952 – via Google Books.
- ^ "History of Tennis Balls" (PDF). www.itftennis.com. November 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
- ^ Recycling, PETRA (PET Resin Association), retrieved 21 July 2010
- ^ "'New balls, please' for mice homes". BBC News. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ^ "When we have match'd our rackets to these balls, We will, in France, by God's grace, play a set" Henry V, act 1, scene 2
- ^ "We are merely the stars' tennis balls, struck and banded/Which way please them" The Duchess of Malfi, act 5, scene 4
No comments:
Post a Comment