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Racquet torque

Q: I was reading your 2004 Study Guide page and I noticed you wrote that longer racquets have less torque. However it should read “increased torque” because the moment arm is increased. Simple physics.

A: While it is true that a longer racquet can have a longer lever arm by virtue of its extra length, the primary force acting on a racquet held in your hand is gravity. Gravity works through the racquet’s center of mass, which is not at the end of the racquet, so the moment arm is shorter than the overall length of the racquet. Because longer racquets have mass in places where shorter racquets don’t even have places, engineers often design racquets with the center of mass more toward the handle to compensate for this additional mass (and length) at the head of the racquet, in order to make longer racquets maneuverable on par with shorter racquets.

From the November 2004 issue
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