Question

When a 58g tennis ball is served, it accelerates from rest to a constant speed of 36 m/s. The impact with the racket gives the ball a constant acceleration over a distance of 35 cm. What is the magnitude of the net force acting on the ball?

Answer 1

We first calculate the acceleration on the ball using:
2as = v² - u²; u = 0 because ball is initially at rest
a = (36)²/(2 x 0.35)
a = 1850 m/s²
F = ma
F = 0.058 x 1850
= 107.3 Newtons