The physics of it don't make sense to me. It seems that a material that is more dense could hit the ball futher. Is it the speed that the bat can be swung because it is lighter??
2007-01-08 14:22:24 · 9 answers · asked by electricman2170 3 in Sports ➔ Baseball
It doesn't necessarily.
The cork doesn't add any "springiness" to the bat. In fact, it hurts the bat's elasticity. See Robert K. Adair's "The Physics of Baseball," Chapter 5: "Properties of Bats."
When a player puts cork in his bat, he's really making the batter lighter so he can swing faster, which will allow him to get around on a pitcher whose fastball he wouldn't otherwise get around on. The decreased weight of the bat will also give a batter more time to decide whether to swing at a pitch.
As for another answer that mentioned a bat cannot weigh less than three ounces less than the bat's length, that's a Little League and high school rule that applies to non-wood bats.
Ignore the obligatory thumbs-down a stalker has been giving every answer from me.
2007-01-08 16:16:32 · answer #1 · answered by Ryan R 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Ryan R.'s answer seems most plausible to me. That the faster bat speed has really nothing to do with hitting the ball further, but rather giving the batter an unfair advantage on a pitcher by allowing him more time (even though it would only be a few hundreths of a second) to think.
I am not sure how putting cork in the end of the bat will effect it's momentum and the collision between the bat and the ball.
2007-01-08 17:52:25 · answer #2 · answered by msi_cord 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It has to do with the size of the bat compared to its weight. The regulation difference between the length of a bat and the weight is 3 ounces. By putting a cork in the middle, it makes the bat lighter (probably by an ounce or so), thus making the bat speed faster
2007-01-08 14:28:01 · answer #3 · answered by weskisats9 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I believe that this is a myth that has been disproved. The bat speed will be greater but not the momentum. Tradition hasn't been replaced by science in this regard. I can understand why the rule is in affect though. I don't want to see the bats tampered with in such a way and it prevents a lot of gray area in the rules.
2007-01-08 15:44:43 · answer #4 · answered by Lyn 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It is indeed batspeed. A corked bat is much lighter than one made of solid ash. A solid ash bat is a lot like swinging a club. Cork gives it the bat speed of an aluminum bat.
2007-01-08 14:30:36 · answer #5 · answered by Dale B 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It provides a "springy" effect on the ball.
With a normal bat, the ball undergoes compression for a tiny fraction of a second, it flattens out and and bounces off as it goes back to it's correct shape (all very quickly).
With a corked bat, the ball still does that, but the bat does too, so it provides that extra spring force.
2007-01-08 14:28:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
I have to agree with Ryan R. It's simply a batspeed thing. If the batter is strong, he'll hit the ball far. The bat's actual strength is compromised. Sosa learned that the hard way, so did plenty of other corkers who watched as their bats shattered on impact.
2007-01-09 01:24:57 · answer #7 · answered by kenrayf 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bat Speed is your answer. Ask Sammy
2007-01-09 06:32:40 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
in simple terms the bat is lighter so you can swing faster so you can hit the ball farther
2007-01-09 07:35:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋