Tennis Anyone?


Updated 9-20-00

 
Introduction
Task
Process
Evaluation
Conclusion

 
Introduction

Imagine playing basketball on a  basketball court made out of grass or playing soccer on a soccer field made out of asphalt. Changing the surface that a game is played on totally changes the game!  But this is exactly what tennis players do.  Tennis is one of the only sports that isn't played on the same type of surface for every game.  How do you think the surface of a tennis court affects the game?
 

Task

In this investigation you will gather information on tennis and different types of tennis surfaces. You will then create a hypothesis for the following problem:  On what type of surface would a tennis ball bounce the highest?  Finally, you will design an experiment  to test your hypothesis and construct a data table that is appropriate for your experiment.  Think about the different surfaces around your school and include them in your experiment.

    NOTE: Before you do this investigation, review the steps of the scientific method by clicking on the bunsen burner below.  Keep them in mind while you are doing the investigation.


 

Process

Step #1

Use the Internet Resources to answer the questions below. You will need to explore the Online Tennis Resources (scroll down)  to find the answers.  Please write down the answer to each question on a sheet of paper or type them in a word processing program and give them to your teacher when you have finished.

The Questions

1.  Why is it important to understand what type of tennis surface you are playing on?
2.  What are the four different types of tennis courts?
3.  How does the fuzziness of tennis balls affect the friction of the tennis ball?
4.  In the Basketball and Air Pressure experiment, what is the independent variable in the experiment?
5.  How will increasing the diameter of the tennis ball slow a ball in the air?  How will increasing its diameter change the way it bounces?
6.  What characteristics of a ball change when you keep the ball the same size but make it harder?
7.  Having standards for tennis balls (keeping them all basically the same) is like what step of the scientific method?
8.  What other things do they try to keep the same in tennis?
9.  What it the difference in how a tennis player  runs and stops on different court surfaces?
10.Why does an indoor court normally play faster than an outdoor court?
 
 

Online Tennis Resources
Click on the Links below to Get Background Information on
Bouncing, Tennis, and Tennis Surfaces

The Tennis Court: Describes the different tennis court surfaces

Why Are Tennis Balls Fuzzy?

How Things Work: Basketball and Air Pressure

New Standards for Balls

The Tennis Ball

Encyclopaedia Britannica:Court and equipment

Comptons Encyclopedia

The Indoor Advantage

Court Surfaces Quiz

Step #2

 Now write your hypothesis. Base your hypothesis on the information that you gathered in step #1.  Write your hypothesis on a sheet of paper or type it in a word processing program.  Keep this sheet of paper. You will be using it to write the experiment and to construct your data table.  This hypothesis should be a possible answer to the original problem: On what type of surface would a tennis ball bounce the highest? Make sure that you site evidence from the web sites above in your hypothesis. Be sure to include information from to support your hypothesis.

Step #3

Now plan your Scientific Report.  Do you need to look at the steps of the scientific method again? Click on the bunsen burner below.

Write the Steps of the Scientific Method including an experiment for the Problem   "On what type of surface would a tennis ball bounce the highest?"

Make sure that you include the following in your Experiment Write up.

Evaluation

The ten questions will be assessed by the teacher.

The Scientific Report will be assessed according to the following criteria.

Scientific Report Rubric

 
Beginning
1
Developing
2
Accomplished
3
Exemplary
4
Self 
Evaluation
Teacher Evaluation
Problem and Information
Problem is  not stated correctly, does not state where information was gathered 
Problem is stated correctly, but does not state where information was gathered
Problem is stated correctly, where information was gathered is incomplete
Problem is stated correctly. Where information was gathered is correct and complete
    
Equipment
Equipment is not listed
Equipment does not include all of the equipment needed or does not have the proper equipment
Equipment list is complete but has some improper equipment
Equipment list is complete and proper for the experiment
    
Hypothesis
Hypothesis is not appropriate for the problem.
Has hypothesis, but is not supported by information
Good Hypothesis, inadequately  supported by the information gathered
Good Hypothesis, good support based on information gathered
    
Procedure
Not sequential, most steps are missing or are confusing
Some of the steps are understandable: most are confusing and lack detail
Most of the steps are understandable; some lack detail or are confusing
Presents easy-to follow steps which are logical and adequately detailed.
    
Experiment
Experiment does not contain an independent variable. Other variables are not controlled
  Experiment contains an independent variable, but most other variables are not controlled
Experiment contains an independent variable. One other variable is not controlled
  Experiment contains an independent variable. All other variables are controlled    
Data
Data table has missing information and is inaccurate
Complete, but minor inaccuracies and/or illegible characters
Accurate, but some ill formed characters
Data table neatly completed and totally accurate
    
Grammar and Spelling
Very frequent grammar and/or spelling errors
More than two errors.
Only one or two errors.
All grammar and spelling are correct.
    
Attractive
Illegible writing, loose pages.
Legible writing, some ill-formed letters, print too small or too large. 
Legible writing characters, clean and neatly put together.
Word processed or very neatly written in ink, illustrations provided
    
Timeliness
Report handed in more than one week late
Up to one week late.
Up to two days late
Report handed in on time
    


 
 

Conclusion

Now comes the best part. You get to perform the experiment.  Use the procedure that you wrote to do the experiment. Write your results in the data table that you created.

Next time someone asks you play tennis, ask them what type of tennis court you will be playing on.  That way you will know how high the ball will bounce and where it might go when it is served to you.


Pictures From Tennis Anyone

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