A tennis player swings and hits the ball away. How does the force of the tennis racket affect the motion of the ball?

Question

a. It does not change the speed or the direction of the ball.
b. It changes the speed of the ball but not the direction
c. It changes the direction of the ball but not the speed.
d. It changes both the direction and the speed of the ball.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

d. It changes both the direction and the speed of the ball.

When a tennis player swings the racket and impacts the ball, the force exerted by the racket changes the ball's speed (typically increasing it when hitting the ball) and also alters its direction depending on the angle of the racket at the moment of impact.