Physics of Baseball & Softball

ISBN-13: 9781441981127 / Angielski / Twarda / 2011 / 324 str.

Rod Cross

Opis

This book teaches the physics of baseball and softball in conversational style, for those without extensive physics training, using words and illustrations that make sense. Includes simple experiments readers can perform, and appendices of supporting equations.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"Provide the clearest and most extensive explanation of what happens the instant bat meets the ball. ... Cross takes pains to explain the issues so that a motivated nonphysicist could follow the explanations. ... It could serve as the basis for laboratory experiments in an introductory physics course. ... it is a treatise on bats and balls and on batting balls. ... So invest in this book if you care about how baseball bats work or want to teach undergraduates about it." (Cliff Frohlich, Physics Today, May, 2011)

"This book revisits the science of the motion of baseballs and softballs, with little to distinguish between them. ... The author uses basic physics and mathematics to explain the behavior of a baseball after a pitcher throws the ball and a batter hits it. ... provides a list of 12 activities that one can perform to appreciate the motion of baseballs. ... contains excellent diagrams, graphs, and a good index. Summing Up: Recommended. Students of all levels and researchers/faculty." (N. Sadanand, Choice, Vol. 49 (1), September, 2011)

Spis treści

Preface.- 1. Basic Physics.- 2. Bats and Balls.- 3. Ball Trajectories.- 4. Pitching Trajectories.- 5. Pitching Mechanics.- 6. Swinging a Bat.- 7. Contacting the Ball.- 8. Elastic Properties of Balls.- 9. Ball Hysteresis.- 10. Collisions.- 11.Bat Performance.- 12. Bat Vibrations.- 13. The Trampoline Effect.- 14. The Sweet Spot of a Baseball Bat.- 15. Flexible Bat Handles.- 16. Ball Bounce and Spin.- 17. Ball Spin Generated by a Bat.- 18. Bat and Ball Projects.- Conversion Factors.

Blurb

This book describes the physics of baseball and softball, assuming that the reader has a background in both physics and mathematics at the high school level. The physics is explained in a conversational style, and illustrated with experimental results obtained both in the laboratory and in the field. Simple equations are also used in order to model the experimental results and to test whether the explanations are actually valid. The subject matter provides an excellent opportunity to explain physics in an interesting manner, given the universal popularity of baseball and softball as pastimes. There is also the interaction between a bat and ball, which is a classic problem in physics involving large forces, short time intervals, momentum, and energy transfer, vibration, rotation, and the different physical properties of the wood (or aluminum) of the bat, and the ball. The flight of the ball through the air is another fascinating example of physics in action, involving the effects of gravity, air resistance and ball spin on the ball trajectory. For those readers who already know quite a bit of physics and who are comfortable with mathematical equations, additional material is provided in the appendices. The book also describes many simple projects for readers who wish to perform their own experiments, whether it is for fun, for a school project, or both.

 

Advance Praise for The Physics of Baseball & Softball

“…so compelling that I read every page. Rod has compiled a wonderful selection of insight and discovery to the game...I think it would be a great reference book for a physics teacher to enrich lectures or explain topics.”

-Prof. Lloyd Smith, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University