Tennis players use different rackets made of different materials in order to get a better feel for the ball and to be able to put spin on it. Tennis rackets are generally composed out of 4 parts: 1) Head 2) Shaft 3) Grip 4) Strings
The material that provides the most “feel” is wood. However, many tennis enthusiasts abandoned this type of racket after Babolat came up with their very first metal racket- the graphite racket (or simply ‘graphite’). Many more brands followed suite later on, but some people still claim that graphite rackets do not provide as much “control” as wooden ones do. The debate between which material is better has been going since then. To solve this problem, we will compare the effects of both materials on the tennis ball and see which one is truly better.
Our experiment will be performed in two parts: 1) We will test what material allows the ball to travel faster 2) Then we will test if there is a significant difference between material and speed (to rule out factors like player’s strength and racket weight).
1 – Obtain at least 8 identical rackets made out of either graphite or aluminum (or both). Also get an equal amount of balls for each racket, preferably in different colors. Make sure they are all brand new.
2- Using all 16 balls simultaneously, record which ones go faster with each racket.
3- Repeat the same for different rackets of the same material. Record your results in a table like this one:
Material Color Average Velocity
- Graphite Red 49.7
- Graphite Green 50.8
- Graphite Yellow 50.4
- Graphite Blue 49.8
- Aluminum Orange 49.7
- Aluminum Pink 49.6
- Aluminum Purple 49.75
Graphite vs Aluminum graph1
(Note: The velocity is measured in m/s) As we can see, aluminum rackets make balls go faster on average than graphites do, and there is no significant difference between the two materials (p ≈ 0.05). This means that whether you use an aluminum or graphite racket, the ball will travel at approximately 49.75 m/s on average.
Conclusions:
1- Aluminum rackets make balls go faster on average than graphites do.
2- There is no significant difference between material and speed (p ≈ 0.05)
3- Graphite rackets are not better than aluminum ones in terms of speed. However, players tend to prefer graphite because it provides more control while playing since they can apply spin much easier with it compared to aluminum rackets which are harder to control. Graphite also does not weigh as much as aluminum so people who play tennis regularly tend to stick with it for this reason too.
Graphite vs Aluminum graph2
Conclusion: Aluminum rackets make balls go faster on average than graphites do. There is no significant difference between material and speed (p ≈ 0.05). Graphite rackets are not better than aluminum ones in terms of speed. However, players tend to prefer graphite because it provides more control while playing since they can apply spin much easier with it compared to aluminum rackets which are harder to control. Graphite also does not weigh as much as aluminum so people who play tennis regularly tend to stick with it for this reason too.
Graphite vs Aluminum graph3
(Note: The velocity is measured in m/s) As we can see, aluminum rackets make balls go faster on average than graphites do, and there is no significant difference between the two materials (p ≈ 0.05). This means that whether you use an aluminum or graphite racket, the ball will travel at approximately 49.75 m/s on average.