The Spin Racket: Ping-Pong Champs Are Intuitive Masters of Fluid Dynamics
American Physical Society's Division of Fluid DynamicsCurve balls may help a pitcher strike out batters in baseball; and some nasty spin can make an opponent sweat to return a tennis serve. But more so than in any other ball game, in table tennis – where the ball is so light and so small –dedicated players must master the physics of spin.