The focus of my research is isolating and locating the
"sweet spot" on a baseball bat. I chose to avoid presenting
raw data, but to examine the science that causes
this reaction. Participants of this sport probably
have first hand or an intuitive knowledge of this saying. Locating the
"sweet spot" can be done at home. A simple experiment
of your on can be done using either a wood or aluminum
bat. The only apparatus required is a hammer. Gripping the bat
by the handle suspend perpendicular from the floor. Using a hammer, tap
in various places on the barrel of the bat. As you approach the
center of the barrel, vibration from the force will diminish.
Vibrational modes will be detected from the hand gripping the bat.
Every baseball bat has a “sweet spot.” When a baseball hits a bat in the wrong place your hands “sting,”
it means the force of the collision has excited waves or vibrations called modes. When the ball is hit at
the node it will not sting your hands. A mode generates two nodes or a position of zero displacement.
A baseball bat consists of two major nodes; this region is proverbially known as the “sweet zone.” Higher
frequency modes affect the ball speed, but can hardly be felt by the batter. Baseball bat vary in lengths,
but generally the “sweet spot” is approximately 17 cm from the end of the barrel of a major league baseball bat.
A collision near the node reduces the vibrations felt by the hand. The existence of the
“sweet spot” is mainly because the vibrations do not agitate at that particular node. Impact on the first
node will not excite the first mode, but will affect the second mode. Thus is true for the second node’s
relationship with the first mode.
Close to where the point of percussion occurs is the “sweet spot.” According to a
study done by H. Brody at the Physics Department of the University of
Pennsylvania, “A bat of mass M and with initial velocity zero can be treated
as a free-body that is hit by a ball whose momentum changes due to
the interaction.” At the time of percussion the bat will oscillate which indicates
a transferal of kinetic energy into vibrational energy and some kinetic energy is lost.
When all this occurs it is an extremely aggressive action. The bat has a
massive force on the ball changing the direction and speed.
EQUATIONS
Newtons Second Law of Motion
"An unbalanced force causes an object to move in the direction of the force.
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.
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.
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 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.
The third pitch is the slider. It is similar to a curve ball but it is thrown harder. It does not move as much but it does not allow the hitter to recognize the movement.
Upon further investigation, baseball is more than just “One, two, three strikes you’re out,”there is a whole world of physics interacting and exerting itself upon the game, unseen to the human eye. So next time one sees a batter hit a home run off a knuckle ball at Coors Field in Denver, one will have a great appreciation for the physics of the game that came into play within that play.
high. Also, if a runner is hit exactly at his center of mass, he will
Here, three small bones, the ossicles, vibrate in succession to produce a unique pattern of movements that embodies the frequencies contained in every sound we are capable of hearing. The middle ear is also an important component in what music we actually keep out of our head. The muscles grasping the ossicles can contract to prevent as much as two thirds of the sound from entering the inner ear. (1, 2) The mechanical motions of the ossicles directly vibrate a small membrane that connects to the fluid-filled inner ear.
A bat can bend in different ways. For example, if you were to place each end of a bat on a brick and stand on the bat in the middle, then the bat would bend in the middle. That bend in the middle hi where the ball should be hit.
I encountered a “bump in the road” at a young age. I began playing softball at age six when Kylie, my elementary school friend, came to show and tell with her first place T-ball trophy. At the time, I had only played soccer, but the thought of swinging a bat as hard as I could and having people in the stands cheer for me, inspired me to ask my mother to register me for the local recreational league. Before I knew it, I was lacing up last year’s soccer cleats and stepping up to bat in my first coach-pitch softball game. My father, being the coach, stood on the mound and lobbed in the fattest meatball every hitter dreams of. With the ding of my second-hand garage sale bat, the ball sailed over the shortstop. Some may have called it beginner's luck, but I called it a sign.
your neck down to ankles, as all the muscles off the body may be used
contains for stresses; there is a strong caesura in the middle of the lines and
The Scholar: I think that's more a function of sound wave vibration than anything else.