The Science of Spin: A Baseball Pendulum

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Summary

Areas of Science

Sports Science

Difficulty

Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

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Abstract

For this project, you'll use a baseball as a pendulum weight, studying the motion of the ball with and without spin. Wrap a rubber band around the ball, and tie a string to the rubber band. Fasten the string so that the ball hangs down and can swing freely. Mark a regular grid on cardboard, and place it directly beneath the ball to measure the motion. You can also time the oscillations with a stopwatch. Lift the ball along one of the grid axes, and let it go. Observe the motion and record your results. Next, twist the string 50–100 times, and again lift the ball along one of the grid lines and let it go. How does spinning change the motion of the pendulum? Try changing the orientation of the seams of the ball: is the pendulum motion affected? What happens if you wind the string in the opposite direction? Can your results help you explain how a pitcher throws a curve ball? (Idea from Goodstein, 1999, 50-53. Adair, 2002, has an extensive treatment of baseball aerodynamics.)

Bibliography

Adair, R. K., 2002. The Physics of Baseball: Third Edition, Revised, Updated and Expanded. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
Goodstein, M., 1999. Sports Science Projects: The Physics of Balls in Motion. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers.

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MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "The Science of Spin: A Baseball Pendulum." Science Buddies, 28 July 2017, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Sports_p022/sports-science/baseball-spin-pendulum?class=AQVBFpVV5F8c4NnOlbbM6kd46cIqt9RMRvet4YYrv7ftscZ6RXB2WZdhyubwpWAFyEw8X_7PmlXswvvXFSQMasnG7fMvZ9Pu36awsqAkx7UETA. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2017, July 28). The Science of Spin: A Baseball Pendulum. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Sports_p022/sports-science/baseball-spin-pendulum?class=AQVBFpVV5F8c4NnOlbbM6kd46cIqt9RMRvet4YYrv7ftscZ6RXB2WZdhyubwpWAFyEw8X_7PmlXswvvXFSQMasnG7fMvZ9Pu36awsqAkx7UETA

Last edit date: 2017-07-28

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