A Baseball Is Hit So That It Travels Straight Upward?
Contents
A baseball is hit so that it travels straight upward. In order for the ball to go into the air and come down, there must be a force pulling it downward. That force is gravity.
Introduction
A baseball is hit so that it travels straight upward. At the instant it is hit, it is traveling at 36 ft/s. At what height will it be going twice as fast?
The Physics of a Baseball Hit Straight Up
In order for a baseball to be hit straight up, the bat must make contact with the ball at a point below the center of the ball. When this happens, the ball will spin and travel in an arc. The height of the arc will depend on how fast the ball was hit and how much it was spinning.
The Probability of a Baseball Hit Straight Up
The probability of a baseball hit straight up is relatively low. In order to have a higher probability of hitting a baseball straight up, the batter would need to hit the ball with an initial velocity that is perpendicular to the ground. The further away from the perpendicular the initial velocity is, the lower the probability of hitting the ball straight up.
The Record for the Highest Altitude Achieved by a Baseball
Baseballs are not designed to be hit straight up in the air. If you hit a baseball dead center, it will compress slightly, and then spring back up off the bat. The further you hit from the sweet spot, the more the ball will spin and drop. A ball that is hit with top spin will actually rise slightly as it moves through the air.
Nevertheless, there have been countless cases of baseballs being hit almost straight up in the air by some enterprising hitter trying to avoid a double play. These balls don’t usually go very high, maybe 10 or 15 feet in the air before coming down again.
The record for the highest altitude achieved by a baseball is held by Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig. On June 3, 1932, Gehrig hit a ball out of Detroit’s Navin Field that cleared the clubhouse — which was over 500 feet from home plate — and landed on an adjacent street. According to eyewitnesses, the ball bounced twice before coming to rest.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a baseball can be hit so that it travels straight upward, but it is more likely to travel in a slightly curved path. The amount of curve will depend on the speed and spin of the ball. If you hit the ball with enough speed and spin, you can make it travel in a complete circle!
