Someone told me that a baseball actually accelerates when it hits the ground and skips to first rather than thrown in a straight line. I need a physicist to answer.
2007-05-20 01:08:50 · 8 answers · asked by em_tee06 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
When u measure acceleration, the only direction the ball is accelerating once it is thrown is down. (gravity) this is because a force has to be applied for acceleration to take place. Since gravity is constant, the ball will accelerate at 9.81m/s downwards as long as it is in mid air.
The speed of the ball in determined by the energy it possesses, known as its kinetic energy. When a ball is bounced, energy is lost as sound and heat(friction) thus the kinetic energy of the ball is lowered (principle of conservation of energy) and its velocity decreases.
Thus assuming you use the same strength the ball will move faster by not bouncing it. Why the ball seems to move faster with a bounce is because it is very likely that a greater intial velocity was supplied (since more strength is used) causing the final velocity to increase.
2007-05-20 01:19:22 · answer #1 · answered by NK 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A ball thrown along the ground will have less distance to go, while one thrown in an arc will have to travel further (with a lot of the energy wasted on making it go up).
This could make a ball that bounces reach the target faster than one thrown in an arc.
If the ball hits the ground some of the energy will be lost to the ground, so it should slow down.
However, if the ball is spinning in the direction of travel it will accelerate from the spin.
Other things that might make a difference in the time the ball takes to travel is that maybe a throw that is flat has more power than one where the ball goes up. You release the ball earlier to make it travel in an arc.
Why not do the experiment and report back to answers.com
2007-05-20 01:14:52 · answer #2 · answered by flingebunt 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well that woud depend on the arc you trhew the ball at... but generally it is a flat line throw from third to first that woud get there faster.
I was a 3rd baseman for a few years in baseball and I can tell you right now that the 1 hop is slower. Now for the most part the difference is negligable, and a 1 hop isn't too difficult for a first baseman to handle but it is for sure slower.
But If you throw the ball at too much of an arc.. (it really should have the most minimal of arc if thrown right) your arc throw can be slower than a fast 1 hopper.
The idea that a ball acclerates when it hits the ground is absolute nonsense. A change in a ball's y velocity will have no effect on a ball's x velocity. Look at vector components of projectile motion and you will see exactly what I mean.
2007-05-20 04:54:26 · answer #3 · answered by travis R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All things given the same it will get there faster when thrown straight to the person in the air. The ball is traveling a shorter distance.....If you have any doubts all you need to do is watch a game on ESPN for about 5 minutes. Then ask yourself the question do Major League third basemen throw it straight to the first basemen or do they hop it. There is your answer.
2007-05-20 01:21:28 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
assume both paths have the ball thrown at the same speed , the air path has the direction at some upward angle in this case its horizontal speed is equal to its thrown speed times the cos (thrown angle upwards)
the velocity of the ball thrown strait to 1st baseman has a horizontal speed equal to thrown speed.but will upon contact with the ground will cause some ball spin....
this spin has energy and that energy comes from the balls kinetic energy or horizontal velocity.
so which ball gets there first?
depends on which one has less loss.
but if the ball is thrown with a spin imparted so that it doesn't
change its spin speed after contact with the ground will not
lose any energy and will always arrive first
2007-05-20 02:47:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well friction causes a loss of energy..,, but motion of the ball may accelerate it,, is the spin of the ball forward when it hits the ground ? faster than the speed its traveling I'm no rocket scientist its just common sense ,, it would take considerable practice to make the spin speed the ball up ,,,the shortest distance is a straight line
2007-05-20 01:28:14 · answer #6 · answered by txtx 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-12-29 15:06:56 · answer #7 · answered by Erika 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say the air.
2007-05-20 01:12:15 · answer #8 · answered by the world is my sea of gumdrops 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋