Do Tennis Balls Go Further Than Baseballs? (Find Results)

A very popular question when comparing tennis and baseball is which ball will go further? That is something I once wondered myself, and when I heard the answer well, it was as I expected!

In this article, ill teach you which balls will go the furthest and why, which are bigger, and additional information about balls in general.

But first, do tennis balls go further than baseballs?

As in general, tennis balls won’t go further than baseballs. This is because a tennis ball weighs 1/8 of a pound, whereas a baseball weighs 3/8 of a pound; thus, baseball has more mass, and when it is struck with a similar force as a tennis ball, it will go further because it has less drag and more mass.

This is given that it is struck or thrown with a reasonable force. However, if you would give a tennis ball and a baseball to a little kid that can barely throw, a tennis ball would surely go further.

Ultimately it’s a question of circumstance, but in cases that this would be measured, a baseball will go further.

Now, let’s look at what makes a baseball fly further than a tennis ball and in what cases the situation would be different.

What affects to whether tennis or baseball will fly further?

A baseball won’t always go further than a tennis ball. This depends on what you strike the balls with and with how much force.

If you were to throw both balls yourself and see which one would fly the furthest, a baseball would take the trophy. Take a look at these ground rules so you can make an educated guess which one will fly further if you know the striking object and force applied.

Outcomes if you were to throw tennis and a baseball:

1. Distance: A baseball will go further than a tennis ball because it has more mass to keep it goign. Also, a tennis ball has more air resistance because of the fuzz, making it slow down faster.
2. Absolute speed: A tennis ball will achieve higher maximum speed over a baseball because it is lighter so you are able to throw it with a greater force. However, it will quickly lose it’s maximum speed afterwards.
3. Average speed: a baseball will have a greater average speed than a tennis ball because it won’t slow down nearly as much as a tennis ball which starts to lose speed almost immediately when departing your hand.

Now that you know these 3 rules let’s look at a couple of examples of striking objects and forces.

1. Striking object

The striking object has a major effect on which ball goes further. If the striking object is delicate and won’t handle the mass of a baseball, a tennis ball will naturally go further. Let’s take an example.

If you were to strike tennis and baseball with a tennis racket, a tennis ball would fly further because the strings aren’t designed to handle a baseball with such great mass. However, if you strike both balls with a baseball bat that is heavy and designed to strike an object with a mass of baseballs, a baseball will fly further.

2. Force applied

The force applied has a big difference because if the force is capable of striking a tennis ball well but not strong enough to do a good job with a baseball, a tennis ball will fly further. Another example, if you may.

If you give tennis and baseballs to 5year old kids, they are more likely to throw the tennis ball further because the child’s force is best suited for the mass of a tennis ball. However, if you give both balls to an adult that knows how to throw, a baseball will certainly go further.

As you can see, it’s a matter of circumstance, but the number of striking objects and forces for these balls are more in favor of a baseball which is why it will go further the vast majority of the time.

Are tennis balls or baseballs bigger?

If you look quickly, you won’t notice a size difference between a tennis ball and a baseball, yet it is there.

A baseball is bigger than a tennis ball. The diameter of a baseball is between 2.86 to 2.94 inches, with a circumference of 9-9.25 inches. In contrast, the diameter of a tennis ball is between 2.57 to 2.7 inches, with a circumference of 8.09-8.48 inches.

The size difference isn’t big, but a baseball has more than double the mass of a tennis ball, which makes it fly further if struck with great force.

Can You Use Tennis Balls For Baseball?

If you don’t find a baseball but would like to play the sport, a tennis ball might seem like a great solution.

You can use a tennis ball to play baseball; however, it isn’t the optimal choice, and the game won’t be as good as with a baseball, but it will work. A tennis ball is more than twice lighter than a baseball, and the fuzz will have air resistance. All things considered, you can use a tennis ball for baseball.

How Far Can Baseballs Go?

According to the physics of baseball, a batted baseball can’t go further than 545ft (166m) because the contact between the baseball bat and baseball is approximately 1/1000 of a second, making 545ft the highest possible distance with an optimal 35-degree angle and maximum force.

Do Softballs or Baseballs Go Farther?

In short, baseballs will go further than softballs because softballs are too soft to compete with a baseball even though they weigh more. Proportionately to the weights and sizes of the balls, a baseball has more mass. Thus, a baseball is harder with more mass, making it go further than a softball.

Check out the video below, where you can see the batting length difference between a softball, baseball, and more!

Which Sport Has The Largest Ball?

All ball sports considering, baseball has the largest balls of all sports with a diameter of 9.4 inches (23.8cm). A baseball is just 0.5 inches (1.27cm) bigger in diameter than a netball, the second-largest ball.

Which Sport Has the Heaviest Ball?

A maximum-sized bowling ball and the men’s shot put ball have a shared heaviest ball weight of all ball sports weighing 16 lb (7.26kg). Second in place is a bocce ball which is considerably behind in weight, weighing only 32oz (920g).