The force on a baseball as it is being hit with a bat can be over 8000lbs. No human can push on a bat with?

Question

that much force. What is happening in this instance?

Answer 1

It's called 'impulse' and any good, lower division, physics book will have an explanation of what it is and how it works.


Doug

Answer 2

Jedimaster got it right. I might add that the reason that acceleration is "magnified" is that a baseball bat is a third class lever. A third class lever is one in which the fulcrum (pivot point) is at one end, the resistance being overcome (in this case the inertia of the ball) is at the other end and the force you apply is somewhere in between. Assuming the batter is right handed, the fulcrum is his left hand, the resistance is the ball and the force which he applies is with his right hand. The acceleration is multiplied by this factor - measure the distance from the batter's left hand to his right as he grips the bat. This will be a very small amount. Now divide this figure into the length of the bat. The result will be the factor by which acceleration is multiplied. Notice something else too. Jedi mentioned the "fat" end of the bat. Notice that the bulk of the mass of the bat is concentrated in the business end? So we have both increased acceleration and increased mass. Remember that momentum is velocity times mass. This momentum is largely transferred to the ball at the time of impact. Many sports implements are third class levers and have their mass concentrated in their "business" end. Golf clubs for example. Some tools are also third class levers for the same reason. Hammers come to mind.

Answer 3

When you swing the bat, the small force you are applying at the handle end is being magnified at the other end. Thus, the other end us traveling faster.
Also, as you swing the ball, you are forcing the bat to accelerate, so not only is the fat end traveling faster than the handle, but it's accelerating faster as well.
The end of the bat that hits the ball is thicker than the handle end so the fat end has more mass.

And since Force = Mass x Acceleration...