The choice of materials used to construct baseball bats has evolved over the years,
starting with solid wood, then to aluminum and now to composites. Major League Baseball only
plays with wood bats, but just about every other league from youth softball to college baseball
uses a combination of aluminum and composite bats. So is one better than the other? The
game of baseball is changing. From safer helmets to elbow guards (which I personally
recommend), each part of the game continues to change with the growth of technology.
However, the use of wood bats has remained constant over the years. Even though wood bats
may be more expensive, the risks of using a metal bat could outweigh the cost. Even with an
increase on metal bat standards,
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In contrast the aluminum bat is actually heavier, but since
its balance point is more than an inch closer to the handle it will be easier to swing. This is
directly related to the swing weight of a bat - the reason that not all 28oz softball bats swing the
same. An end-loaded bat can have the same weight as a normal bat, but will feel heavier
because more of the mass is distributed towards the barrel end of the bat.” (acs.psu.edu)
MOI (moment-of- inertia) is the product of mass and the square of a distance - which
while not the same as the CM location is strongly influenced by the balance point. The closer
the CM is to the handle, the lower the MOI will be. Several studies have shown that swing
speed depends strongly on the moment-of- inertia of the bat; a player can swing a lower inertia
bat faster. This affects performance because higher bat speed is directly related to higher batted
ball speed. The faster a player can swing a bat, the higher the final speed of the ball.
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Getting back to the comparison of wood and aluminum bats, an aluminum bat with the
same weight as a wood bat will have a significantly lower inertia and that means it could be
swung faster than the wood bat. When a ball hits a wood bat, it compresses to nearly half its
original diameter, losing up to 75% of its initial energy to internal friction forces during this
compression. In a hollow bat, however, the bat barrel compresses somewhat like a spring, when
the ball impacts it. This means that the ball is not compressed as much and therefore loses less
energy to internal friction forces. Furthermore, most of the energy temporarily stored in the
barrel is returned to the ball, and the energy which is lost in the bat compression is a small
fraction of what would have been lost in the ball if it had impacted a wood bat instead. The
physics behind the trampoline effect is somewhat complex.
What I want to discuss is that a trampoline effect really does seem to be partly
responsible for improvement in performance of aluminum bats over wood. The metal bat can
potentially hit a ball 5-7mph faster than the wood bat. This can be explained if the metal bat
Another exciting characteristic of aluminum bats is the speed at which the ball leaves the bat compared to the speed that it leaves a wooden bat. A one time representative of Louisville Slugger, J.W. MacKay, says “When a ball is traveling at 94 miles per hour as it leaves the bat, a pitcher has four milliseconds to respond…you can’t react that fast”(Palmer 2). Studies show the bats have enough power to propel balls at speeds up to 123 miles per hour, up to 30 mph faster than balls struck with wooden bats. In a memorandum written to the NCAA, Cedric W. Dempsey states that “traditional wood bats when swung at 70 miles ...
Or maybe alloy bats and composite bats The middle of the ball is called the “Cork”. The core of the ball is made of long fiber kapok, in 2004 high-visibility yellow optic covering. Alloy bat son the other hand, are thinner and have more responsive barrels. Alloy bats are also more durable because they are made of aluminum. Composite bats are made of a carbon fiber,graphite, and fiberglass, and some also have kevlar. Kevlar is a synthetic fiber of high tensile strength used especially as a reinforcing agent in the manufacture of tires and other rubber products and protective gear such as helmets and vests. There are many different parts of the bats which is a big part to make the player and who they are on the field. There is a knob which is the very base of the bat. Directly above that there is the grip for the players so they can grip the bat on the handle. Above the grip there is the barrel of the bat where the ball hits, it is also the thickest part of the baton top of that is the end cap on the end of the bat.
When asked to name great hitters, fans would probably mention the likes of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams. It would not come as a surprise if they forgot to include the Georgia Peach, Ty Cobb, on their list. The reason for their forgetfulness stems from the era in which Cobb played. Beginning his career in 1905, Cobb played baseball through the period dubbed “the dead ball era.” During this era (1900-1919), players hit marginally fewer homeruns than players from other eras. The reason for this homerun shortage resulted from the baseball used at the time. Indeed, the ball had no life. Loosely wound, one baseball often served throughout an entire game. Moreover, larger ball fields also kept the homerun totals down (“1900-1919”). Legal pitches also included the spitball, a terrib...
Reds clocked his fastball at 92 miles per/hour. He a; so had a batting average
The game of baseball can be divided into three broad categories: hitting, pitching, and defense. No other facet of the game gets as much attention as hitting. For example, every year the MLB puts on a home run derby. No other part of the game draws as much attention. The traditional statistic that measure hitting ability is batting average (BA or AVG). To find a players batting averag...
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.
Texas Tech has proven that hitting a softball is way harder to hit than a baseball. A softball pitcher is very close to you at the pitcher's mound. If you are in the batter's box it feels like they are right on top of you especially since most softball pitchers can be up to about 6 feet in height. It is scientifically proven that a softball player has less time to react to the ball because of the distance and speed of the pitch. Also, softball pitchers not only throw hard, but they also throw tricky pitches to hit. The pitch that rises upwards is called a rise ball. When this pitch comes in, most coaches will say just let it go instead of risking this pitch. Baseball players throw breaking balls, but unlike in softball they don't suddenly leap up right as you're going to swing at it. Pitchers in softball can also throw a curve ball that curves away from the batter but still in the strike zone. A screw ball moves closer to the batter. Same as a curve ball it is still in the strike zone just right on the edge of it. Softball players throw many more change ups than in baseball. Change ups catch the player off guard causing them to swing and become frustrated with themselves. As you can tell softball pitchers don't mess around using every inch of the plate to pitch the ball and strike the batter
...g that the balls will travel a considerable distance farther than just a regular aluminum bat. I will set everything up on the football field and hit twenty five baseballs with each bat so I can get a significant amount of data out of each bat. I will set up my swinging machine in an endzone just incase my balls fly that far. After hitting each ball I will measure each hit one by one and in the end add them up from each bat. I will then average them and see which one had the better trampoline effect. I will also calculate the momentum of the two bats, I am hoping the corked bat will have the better momentum, but we will see in the end.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the softball swing anatomically, mechanically, and analytically. By analyzing each move one makes when...
Every baseball fan knows of the term spitball. A spitball is when the pitcher spits his tobacco juices onto the b...
Baseball is a fascinating sport that is exceptionally fun to play. This assignment is all about understanding the physics of a few key aspects of this sport. One might ask what physics could have to do with baseball? Like most sports baseball involves physical motion. Baseball encompasses all three planes of motion through throwing, hitting, and fielding. All of the classical laws of mechanics can be applied to understand the physics of this game.
Baseball is known as America’s national pastime, and has been played for over 100 years. Baseball can be a lot of fun, but is also extremely challenging to play, especially when trying to hit a 90 mile per hour fastball. I am a very devoted baseball player myself, and over the years I have learned numerous key things about the game. Baseball does not only require physical strength to hit and throw the ball, but it also requires a great mindset, such as, mental preparedness, concentration, and a positive attitude. Mental preparedness separates the average baseball player from the elite ones.
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 more energy is lost and the less the ball bounces back. The less denting that occurs, the more energy is kept and the higher the ball bounces back.