Baseball:  It's not Nuclear Physics (or is it?!)

        Alan M. Nathan, University of Illinois

 

Is the baseball juiced?  Anyone who follows the game knows that this is currently a hot topic in Major League Baseball.  And it is just one of many aspects of the game that is amenable to a physics analysis.  In this talk I will address this issue and various others, such several as:

 

Why and how much does a curve ball break and why does a knuckleball behave erratically?  How does the trajectory of a real-life baseball differ from that of a "Physics 101" baseball? What are the sweet spots of the bat and what are their relevance? Is an aluminum bat superior to a wood bat and why?  Is there an advantage to "corking" the bat?

 

So, grab a hot dog and your scorecard and get ready to root for the home team.