Baseball Assessment
At each level of organized baseball, there are rules in place about what type of bat and ball can be used. These rules
help ensure the game play remains competitive, fair, and
fun. The type of bat and ball are the two major factors that
game organizers can control. But there are a lot of other factors
that people claim also have a big impact on game
play that cannot be controlled, such as weather conditions, location of
the stadium, and the strength of the players
.
Part 1: Weather Conditions and Pitch Speed
To the right is a graph that shows
how pitch speed is affected by wind
speed. The line on the graph shows
the general relationship between
wind speed and pitch speed. Points
A, B, and C represent three of the
same type of fast pitch all thrown at
the same initial speed from a
pitcher's fingertips, but under
different wind conditions.
final pitch speed (mph)
Pitch Speed versus Wind Speed
wind speed (mph)
Data source: Kagan, D. (nd). The physics of pitching in the wind. Retrieved
from: https://physics.csuchico.edu/baseball/Pubs/PitchingWindLong.pdf
1) (2 points) Draw three different free-body diagrams (A, B, and C), one for each point marked on the graph. In
each free-body diagram, show all the contact forces on the ball after the ball has left the pitcher's hand.
•
Draw arrows to show the relative strength of forces on the ball.
A
Make sure to include the relative strength and direction of the forces on the ball due to its interaction
.
with the air.
B
C