Dropping a Tennis Ball From a Great Height
Most recent answer: 06/30/2013
Q:
Hi, I'm wondering what would happen if a tennis ball was dropped from the tennis court on the Dubai hotel which is very high, about 80 stories I think. Would the ball bounce or would it not survive the impact, and if it hit someone below would they survive the experience? Thanks
- jordan (age 20)
auckland
- jordan (age 20)
auckland
A:
Nothing spectacular would happen. Due to air resistance the tennis ball would reach a terminal velocity of about 100 km/hour. The ball would happily bounce unharmed. To put it in perspective, a good pro tennis player can serve at 150 km/hour. As for a person being harmed, how would you like to be hit in the head by a 100 km/hour tennis ball?
LeeH
(published on 06/30/2013)