preview

Physics In Baseball

Decent Essays

Baseball has many different forces of physics all through out playing the game, from the beginner stage of baseball up to professionally played baseball. Although many people are oblivious to the role of physics in our everyday life, it is evident in the game of baseball. Baseball is known to have a lot of numbers involved with the game, no matter where the game is played, from Canada, to the United states, to the rest of the world, the physics behind does not change. This essay will discuss the science of physics prominent in baseball such as the role of Newton’s Law regarding Pitching, Magnus Force, drag and lift of a baseball.
Pitching is one of the most important role for winning in baseball, a pitcher is recognized by how fast they can …show more content…

The Magnus force depends strictly on how the pitch was laid out, as the drag slows down the ball and the gravity pulls the ball down towards the ground. The effect of the Magnus Force generates a force perpendicular to the motion of the ball in the direction of the spin. Pitchers that throw a fast pitch are less likely to be affected by the Magnus Force as the pitch called breaking balls are pitches that rely mostly on the Magnus Force, for example, a Curve Ball. If the pitcher were to throw a pitch with a back spin, it would effect the Magnus force by going up instead of down causing the ball to fall slower than other pitches. The knuckleball is the worst pitch that is thrown against the Magnus Force, if a knuckle ball is not thrown correctly it is easy for the ball to go where ever it wants. If the pitcher were to throw the ball with too much spin the ball would be easier to hit because the Magnus effect causes both uniformity in the ball’s movement and straight ball path. As the ball moves through the air, the air resists the motion of the ball and the resistance force is than called drag. Shape and size of the object can be many of the factors that effect the magnitude of drag force. A baseball drag changes as the stiches are oriented differently as the stiches spin as the ball flows through the air. To determine the drag of a baseball you can throw a ball …show more content…

The magnitude of the lift depends on the conditions of the air and the object as well as the velocity between the object and the air. The speed rotation of the baseball affects the magnitude of the direction of the force and the aerodynamic force that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation. As the generation of lift and drag are very specific and can be affected greatly, the stiches on the baseball introduce complexity. The average baseball is neither smooth nor symmetric because of the stiches which causes the center of pressure of a baseball to move slightly to the center of the ball over time. Depending on the orientation of the ball the center of pressure will vary, which causes the ball to move erratically. When the ball is thrown the orientation of the axis of rotation can be varied. If the axis is vertical, the lift force is horizontal and the ball can be made to curve to one side. Therefore is the axis were to be horizontal, the lift force would be vertical causing the ball to dive or loft depending on the direction of rotation. Avoiding complexities can be done by making predictions of the lift using such thing as

Get Access