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Physics Of Pitching Research

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Physics is the study of matter, energy, and the interaction between them. Physics is involved in so many things, from sports to spacecraft to instruments. One of the sports physics is involved in is softball. Newton’s first law states when an object is in motion it stays in motion until acted upon by an outside force. This is the key element in softball. When the pitcher pitches the ball it travels on the path until the batter hits the ball. The softball travels through the air due to the seams (Bauer & Westfall, Motion of a Softball, 2010). The seams cause high and low pressure fronts while the grip determines how the ball will rotate. Gravity, wind, air drag, velocity, spin, and Magnus are all forces acting upon the softball when it is …show more content…

The momentum from the windmill motion plus the momentum from the pitchers body going toward increases the velocity. The releases of the ball can change the spinning and curving of the ball. The positioning and movement of the pitchers wrist can change the angle of approach and the rotational axis of the softball. (Bauer & Westfall , Physics of Pitching, 2010). There are four basis pitches in softball; the fast ball, the drop ball, the rise ball, and the change up. A fast ball is the most common pitch. The ball is pitched using the same motion as described before, to the batter straight into the strike zone at a very high velocity. The drop ball is when the pitcher snap his or her wrist a little bit before their hip, giving the ball more top spin. To pitch a rise ball the pitcher needs a low release and a certain hand movement where they curl their fingers into the palm of their hand at the release. As the pitcher pitches a rise ball it may look as if it is actually rises but it really does not rise. The ball falls slower than a fastball and doesn’t have backspin, and it travels on a more level plane. Because of this the ball doesn’t have the same gravitational drop so the batter thinks the ball is rising (Bauer & Westfall, Motion of a Softball, 2010). The last pitch is a change up. This pitch …show more content…

As the pitcher pitches the softball the ball continues on the path until the batter hit the ball, thus changing the direction and speed (Bauer & Westfall, 2010). The key to getting a good hit is hitting the ball on the sweet spot of the bat. The sweet spot is where there is the minimal vibration from the contact with the ball. This maximizing the energy transferred and the distance the ball will travel. The sweet spot is located about 17 centimeters from the end of the barrel (Bauer & Westfall, 2010). The batter will be able to tell when the ball has hit the sweet spot on the bat because the batters hands will not sting. To analysis the physics of hitting a softball a person can use an equation and a free body force diagram (see Appendix A for free body force diagram). A uniform slender rod, pivoted at the end, represents the bat. FPx is the x factor of the force exerted on the slender rod by the fixed pivot P. P represents the hands of the batter holding the bat and P is expected to be a frictionless pivot. FPy is the y factor of the force applied on the slender rod by the fixed pivot P. G is the center of mass of the slender rod. F is the force utilized on the bat by the ball when it strikes. L is the length of the slender rod. lF is the distance from the point P to the contact point F. lG is the distance from the point P to the center of mass G. W is the angular velocity of the bat just before the ball is

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