The Physics of Baseball Author: Visit Amazon's Robert Kemp Adair Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0060551887 | Format: PDF
The Physics of Baseball Description
From School Library Journal
YA --An exceptional volume about some of the physical principles involved in the game of baseball. The flight of the ball, pitching, batting, and the properties of bats are discussed in nontechnical language that can be understood by young adults familiar with introductory physics. Short chapters, which include clear and helpful diagrams, each conclude with technical notes that can be skipped or studied closely, depending on readers' interests. Baseball players or fans and budding physicists should be intrigued by Adair's explanations of the effect of the stitching on the distance the ball travels, of the relative merits of wooden and aluminum bats, and of why spitting on the ball does make a difference. This is a book that makes science real, relevant, and fun without being gimmicky or overly simplistic. --Jane Hanley Greene, Prince George's County Memorial Lib . System, Hyattsville, MD
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Robert Adair is Sterling Professor Emeritus of Physics at Yale University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His research has largely been concerned with the properties of the elementary particles and forces of the universe.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
- Hardcover: 110 pages
- Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (January 1990)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060551887
- ISBN-13: 978-0060551889
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
When I was a teenager, I did a science fair project looking at statistical analyses of baseball games to help understand how one could improve the strategy of the game from a general manager's perspective. In The 2,000 Percent Solution, I wrote about the potential levels of perfection for a baseball team. So I have long been hooked on what measurement could add to my understanding of baseball. What a pleasant surprise it was when I discovered this fine book that used measurements and analyses to go even further!
Whenever I listen to former Big Leaguers talk about baseball on television, I get lost by half of what they say. While I can see fast balls falling on the way to the plate, the broadcasters are describing a "rising" fast ball. Suddenly, the ball moves strangely, and they refer knowledgeably to the pitcher throwing a "splitter." Then a knuckle ball pitcher comes in, and the catcher can't seem to ever control the ball because there is little spin. Why is that happening? What's going on here?
If you have ever wondered about questions like these, The Physics of Baseball will fill you in and actually give you the ability to amaze others with your precise explanations why the unexpected is either perceived to be happening or is actually happening.
When I was a teenager, baseball games usually lasted about 2 hours. Now, they are much longer. This book gives you a way to take advantage of that, by giving you more interesting things to talk about during the prolonged games.
The author also takes on the many controversies of recent years, such as corked bats, scuffed balls, and extra pine tar on the bat.
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