Solve Ball's Acceleration: Vectors, 35m/s, 30m/s, 0.005s

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the acceleration of a tennis ball after it is struck by a racket, with initial and final velocities given in vector form. The context includes vector addition and the application of the acceleration formula over a brief time interval.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the initial and final velocities, questioning whether to add or subtract the vectors. There is also a focus on the correct application of the acceleration formula and the interpretation of the change in velocity.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided insights into the nature of the change in velocity and its relation to acceleration. There are differing interpretations of the calculations, and while some guidance has been offered, there is no explicit consensus on the correct approach or final answer.

Contextual Notes

Participants are encouraged to share their calculations for comparison, indicating a collaborative effort to verify understanding. There is mention of the need to clarify units and the validity of the calculated acceleration value.

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A tennis ball crossing a net at 35m/s [S10 degrees W] strikes a person's racket and her volley returns it at 30m/s [N 30 degrees W]. If the person's racket was in contact with the ball for 0.005s then what is acceleration of the ball?

For this question is my vi=35m/s and vf=30m/s? If so, when I draw my vectors do I subtract them or add them. The equation for acceleration is a=vf-vi/t right?

Please help and post your final answer and solution as I need to compare with mine!
 
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ahmed1237 said:
A tennis ball crossing a net at 35m/s [S10 degrees W] strikes a person's racket and her volley returns it at 30m/s [N 30 degrees W]. If the person's racket was in contact with the ball for 0.005s then what is acceleration of the ball?

For this question is my vi=35m/s and vf=30m/s? If so, when I draw my vectors do I subtract them or add them. The equation for acceleration is a=vf-vi/t right?
The ball's velocity is in the opposite direction after it is struck by the racket.

(vf - vi)/t -- notice the parentheses - is the change in velocity. That's not the same as the acceleration, although over short time intervals, the change in velocity divided by the change in time is closer to the instantaneous velocity. In other words, if Δt is reasonably small, Δv/Δt ≈ dv/dt = a.
ahmed1237 said:
Please help and post your final answer and solution as I need to compare with mine!
No, the way it works here is that you show us what you got, and we'll let you know if it's correct or not.
 
Last edited:
so my answer is 4600m/s2 (w 21 degrees n) is that correct?
 
The units should be m2/sec2, but the acceleration value seems way high to me.
 
so then how do I go about doing this?
 

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