Authors: Robert K. Adair
ISBN-13: 9780060084363, ISBN-10: 0060084367
Format: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: May 2002
Edition: Revised, Updated and Expanded Edition
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.
Blending scientific fact and sports trivia, Robert Adair examines what a baseball or player in motion does-and why. How fast can a batted ball go? What effect do stitch patterns have on wind resistance? How far does a curve ball break? Who reaches first base faster after a bunt, a right- or left-handed batter? The answers are often surprising and always illuminating.
This newly revised third edition considers recent developments in the science of sport such as the neurophysiology of batting, bat vibration, and the character of the "sweet spot." Faster pitchers, longer hitters, and enclosed stadiums also get a good, hard scientific look to determine their effects on the game.
Filled with anecdotes about famous players and incidents, The Physics of Baseball provides fans with fascinating insights into America's favorite pastime.
An absolutely wonderful compendium of little know fact about the national pastime.
List of Figures | ||
Preface | ||
1 | Models and their Limitations | 1 |
2 | The Flight of the Baseball | 5 |
3 | The Swing of the Bat | 29 |
4 | Pitching | 47 |
5 | Batting the Ball | 79 |
6 | Properties of Bats | 112 |
7 | Running, Fielding, and Throwing | 145 |
Index | 163 |