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Essay on the biomechanics of pitching
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The Physics of Pitching
I remember one time going out to the mound to talk with Bob Gibson. He told me to get back behind the batter, that the only thing I knew about pitching was it was hard to hit. ... Tim McCarver, St. Louis Cardinals catcher, 1972. Most people do not understand pitching, the mechanics, the situations and the how’s and why’s. Today we are going to talk about a few of these.
When most people think of pitching they think of a person hurling a 5 oz. ball with 216 red stitches as hard as they can from 60’6”. Well they are right, but there is so much more to it. When I looked at pitching I saw situations, fastballs, curveballs, and change-ups. When physics was introduced to me I saw much more to baseball. I see forces generated and at work against each other, I see the Magnus effect functioning most of the time. Let’s look at how force is generated through a pitcher.
Every pitcher has mechanics; mechanics is a good name for it for the mechanical motion which is gone through generates force. “The pitcher’s arm acts as a lever which gives him mechanical advantage, increasing the force.”(1) Let’s look at the transfer of force through the wind-up. A good pitcher hits what is known as the power triangle, this power triangle looks like this: “The lead or glove arm is up at shoulder height and the shoulder is closed. The lead foot has landed on or slightly across the mid-line, the throwing arm is in the high cocked or L-position with the ball facing back toward the shortstop and the head is level and in the top center of the triangle formed by the two feet.”(2)
By getting to this power point it leaves the maximum potential energy. That potential energy is put into kinetic energy and the ball is thrown, ...
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...the knuckle ball will go the direction of least resistance. This makes the pitch very unpredictable and hard to control.
In conclusion, we have seen how different forces act upon a ball that is thrown. Enough that it will slow a ball up to 7 mph after the ball leaves the hand of the pitcher who throws it. Forces such as Magnus effect, gravity, air resistance, drag and seam use play factors in the trajectory and velocity of a pitch. If used correctly they can be very effective in getting the batter out.
Works Cited:
#1 http://www.kent.wednet.edu/staff/trobinso/physicspages/Phys Of1998A/Baseball-WooR/ryanwoo2.html
#2 http://www.pitching.com/pitching_mechanics.php
#3 http://library.thinkquest.org/11902/physics/pitching.html
#4 http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gte603f/me2202/me2202.html Other Sources
Adair, Robert K. The physics of baseball. January,1994
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Many people might think that swinging the bat straight through the ball would be enough to hit the ball a decent distance off the bat. There's many more mechanics involved in the swinging process. Muscle has only a small part to play in the swinging a bat for power. There are two types of mechanics involved while swinging a bat, Linear and Rotational. Rotational mechanics are the dominant source of power in the swing. Out of the rotational mechanics come the two forces that help generate the speed and power of the swing, torque and the other comes from the energy of rotation. Speed from the energy of rotation comes from the path that your hands follow as you swing the bat. The speed generated by the circular rotation from your hands is like a ball at the end of a string, as long as your hands are moving in a circle then the ball continues to accelerate in a circle. So the bat will also move in at an increasing speed as long as your hands are following a circular path as you swing. Any foward movement of the hands or body in a straight line won't add to the overall bat speed.
My science report is about whether a corked aluminum bat hits a ball farther than a regular aluminum bat. But first before I get into that boring science stuff, I’ll tell you about the history of baseball. Baseball originated in American before the Civil War (1861-1865) the game was called rounders and was played in sand lots. The first professional team was founded in Cincinnati in 1869. During the 1950’s and 60’s the MLB really took off, it was a time for expansion for the American league and National league. Then new turf fields and new bigger stadiums changed the game forever in the 80’s, But in the 90’s it was all about getting home runs. There have been 245,913 home runs hit in MLB history, and that’s where the physics of cheating in baseball comes in.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the softball swing anatomically, mechanically, and analytically. By analyzing each move one makes when...
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When a person swings a bat, their arms propel the bat to a high velocity which is needed to transfer momentum to the ball and send it sailing. Also, there is a transfer of energy starting with the batter then moving from the batter's arms to the bat and then when contact is being made with the ball the energy in the bat is transferred to the ball which propels the ball forward (hopefully:)) The force that acts on the ball, as contact is being made (contact is about 1/1000sec.
A dedicated baseball player shows up ready to play and succeed in whatever situation may arise. Baseball is a mental game, and concentration is key to keeping a player mentally prepared. Baseball is both a fast and slow sport, as it is slow between pitches, but very intense during them. During pitches, it is a players time to regroup and think of all the situations that could arise during the next pitch. During the play, everything happens fast, and there is no time to think about what to do, it is all instinct, so the ability to avoid mental errors is crucial.
Question: In what ways did the causes of the Second World War differ from the First World War?
Throwing a baseball is a lot like throwing any other object. Children grow up throwing things around the house, and it very similar to how you throw a baseball. From a young age, I grew up throwing objects around the house. My father was smart enough to recognize this trend and sign me up for baseball later on when I was much older. To throw a baseball you first need to understand the shape of the object. The baseball has seams around the circumference which are placed around the outer edges of the baseball for added grip. Before we get into the types of pitches and grips, we need to understand the arm and body movement. The movement of your body and arms happens in many steps that follow a fluid form to increase accuracy
Its America’s pastime. Since 1869, the MLB has been the sweetheart of American sports. A requisite to be a true American is to have a conceptual understanding of baseball; the seventh inning stretch, “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” as well as hotdogs and warm summer nights at the ball park are all favorite memories of American pastime. However, what one might not realize is the extreme physics behind the game. The velocity of the pitch, and degree of the ball exiting the bat, the exit speed, and how an outfielder throws are entailed within the physics of baseball. It is important to understand the physics involved with baseball to grow in understanding and appreciation of the sport.
The bat affects the bounce factor time and position of the bat at what the swing speed is at a maximum. the rotation of the ball is on an axis perpendicular to the direction of travel. You have a bigger probability of getting out hen you are to get a signal and an walk. but you have a better chance at getting a home run than a double in baseball it can compare it to the hitting of the ...
"Think. Don't just swing. Think about the pitcher, what he threw you last time up, his best pitch, who's up
A little over two hundred years ago a man by the name of Thomas Malthus wrote a document entitled “An Essay on the Principle of Population” which essentially stated that there is an imbalance between our ability to produce food and our ability to produce children. He said human beings are far better at making babies than they are at finding food for survival. His entire essay is based on these two assumptions. “ First, That food is necessary to the existence of man. And second, that the passion between the sexes is necessary and will remain nearly in its present state.” When taking into account what is said in this essay, it is obvious that his original analysis of population has been proven right. Today, in the twenty-first century, people still rely on food to live and stay healthy, and many people consume more food than ever before, especially here in the United States. In addition, the natural attractions between men and women exist more so today than they did in Malthus’s time. When discussing the issue of population, it is important to note that it is one of the most controversial issues facing the world today.