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Article
Oblique Bounce of a Rubber Ball
Measurements are presented on the oblique impact of a hollow rubber ball incident on a polished granite surface, and the results are compared with those for a solid rubber superball. The hollow ball had a much...
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Book
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Chapter
Contacting the Ball
One of the problems faced by a batter is that the ball approaches the batter at high speed, up to 90mph. Batters are somewhat sluggish in responding to this situation. It takes a certain time before they react...
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Chapter
Pitching Trajectories
The basic task of the pitcher is to throw the ball so that it passes over the home plate at a height between the batter’s knees and shoulders. In baseball, the strike zone extends from the knees to a point mid...
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Chapter
The Trampoline Effect
The superior performance of non-wood bats is due to the fact that they are hollow rather than solid. The wall of a hollow bat vibrates like a drum when it strikes the ball, emitting a characteristic high pitch...
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Chapter
Flexible Bat Handles
In recent years, batmanufacturers have been experimenting with flexible bat handles in an attempt to increase bat performance. Some manufacturers claim that better performance is obtained with flexible handles...
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Chapter
Ball Spin Generated by a Bat
When a batter swings at a ball, the result is often disappointing for the batter. Striking the ball is better than missing it completely, but a miss-hit is not much better. Both are very common. Only rarely do...
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Chapter
Basic Physics
Most of the physics in this book can be understood in terms of basic high school mechanics and slightly beyond. This chapter is provided for those who might need some extra guidance or a kick-start. The author...
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Chapter
Pitching Mechanics
Pitching mechanics can mean different things to different people. To coaches and players, pitching mechanics refers to biomechanics, to the actions of all the different body segments involved, the correct sequ...
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Chapter
The Sweet Spot of a Bat
An interesting aspect of a bat and ball collision, from both a practical and a physics point of view, is that the batter can exert a huge force on the ball without feeling any particular discomfort at the hand...
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Chapter
Ball Bounce and Spin
Almost all major sporting activities are played with a ball. The rules of the game always include rules about the type of ball that is allowed, starting with the size and weight of the ball. The ball must also...
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Chapter
Ball Hysteresis
Most of the physics in this book can be understood in terms of basic high school mechanics and slightly beyond. This chapter is provided for those who might need some extra guidance or a kick-start. The author...
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Chapter
Bat and Ball Projects
Twelve simple projects are described in this chapter that you can undertake at home or elsewhere. The projects deal with the flight of balls through the air and the properties of bats and balls. The object of ...
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Chapter
Bats and Balls
A good place to start our discussion of the physics of baseball and softball will be to examine the basic equipment used, namely bats and balls. We will have a lot more to say about bats and balls in other cha...
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Chapter
Bat Performance
Of all the technical issues that concern bat and ball sports, the one that is of most interest to most players concerns bat performance. Players would like to hit the balls far as possible, using the most powe...
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Chapter
Swinging a Bat
Most people can walk or run successfully, without trip** or stumbling, even without any special coaching. Similarly, most people can swing a bat without needing anyone to show them how. The problem is, every...
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Chapter
Elastic Properties of Balls
It is obvious to anyone observing a bouncing basketball that the ball squashes when it bounces, and that it expands back to its original shape when it bounces up off the floor. The same thing happens when any ...
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Chapter
Collisions
One of the things that physicists like to do is to study collisions. Indeed, modern physics had its origins in the 1600s with attempts by Sir Isaac Newton and others to understand collisions between various ob...
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Chapter
Ball Trajectories
The sight of a baseball or softball flying through the air evokes different responses in different people. If the ball is headed toward the batter then the batter will be frantically trying to figure out what ...
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Chapter
Bat Vibrations
The bending of a bat at impact raises a number of interesting physics questions. Since the ball bounces after the bending wave travels about one foot along the bat, how much of the bat is actually involved in ...